SOUTH  KENSINGTON  MUSEUM  ART  HANDBOOKS. 

Edited  by  WILLIAM  MASKELL. 

No.  4.-MAI0LICA. 


These  Handbooks  are  reprints  of  the  dissertations  prefixed  to  the 
large  catalogues  of  the  chief  divisions  of  works  of  art  in  the  Museum 
at  South  Kensington ; arranged  and  so  far  abridged  as  to  bring  each 
into  a portable  shape.  The  Lords  of  the  Com^nittee  of  Council  on 
Education  having  determined  on  the  publication  of  them^  the  editor 
trusts  that  they  will  7neet  the  purpose  intended;  namely.,  to  be  useful., 
not  alone  for  the  collections  at  South  Kensmgton  but  for  other  collec- 
tio7iSy  by  enabling  the  public  at  a trifimg  cost  to  U7tderstand  something 
of  the  history  a7td  character  of  the  subjects  treated  of 

The  authorities  referred  to  in  each  book  are  given  in  the  large 
catalogues ; where  will  also  be  fotmd  detailed  descriptions  of  the  very 
7iu7nerous  exa77tples  in  the  South  Kensington  MuseiL7n. 

W.  M. 

August.,  1S75. 


MAIOLICA. 

BY 

C.  DRURY  E.  FORTNUM,  F.S.A. 


WITH  NUMEROUS  WOODCUTS. 


Published  for  the  Committee  of  Council  on  Education 

BY 


SCRIBNER,  WELFORD,  AND  ARMSTRONG, 
NEW  YORK. 


■ 


- vV 


at  • ^-'< 

• . j 

If: 

/ :, 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


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https://archive.org/details/maiolica00fort_0. 


LIST  OF  WOODCUTS. 


PAGE 

Persian  wall  tile  ...  ...  ...  ...  7 

Damascus  plate  ...  ...  ...  ...  •••  ^3 

Hispano-moresque  vase  ...  ...  ...  ...  •••  I5 

Rhodian  plate  .. . ...  ...  ...  ...  --  ••• 

Vase  with  imitative  Arabic  inscription  ...  ...  ...  ...  17 

Fragment  of  Damascus  vase,  from  Pisa  ...  ...  ...  ...  19 

Siculo-moresque  bowl  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  20 

Tondo  by  Luca  della  Robbia  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  25 

Betrothal  deep  plate,  Gubbio  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  3® 

) 

Plateau,  with  portrait,  Pesaro  (?)  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  3* 

Sgrafhato  circular  dish  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  33 

Vase,  Gubbio  (?)  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  3^ 

Dish  or  plateau,  Urbino...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  40 

Circular  dish,  Urbino  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  41 

Plate,  a maiolica  painter  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  44 

Florentine  mark  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  48 

V ases,  &c. , from  the  manuscript  of  Piccolpasso  ...  ...  ...  53 

Dish,  with  portrait  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  64 

Ancient  Persian  plate  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  68 

Rhodian  shallow  bowl  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  70 

Damascus  marks  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  71 

Plateau,  Malaga  (?)  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  78* 

,,  Spanish  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  81 


VI 


MAJOLICA. 


Dish,  Valencia 
Hispano-moresque  marks 
Inscription  on  a vase 
Sgraffiato  bowl 
Plateau,  early  Tuscan  (?) 

Tazza  plate,  Caffaggiolo 
Plate,  Caffaggiolo 
Ewer,  or  large  pitcher  ... 

Vase,  Caffaggiolo 
Drug- vase,  Siena 
Plate,  Siena  ... 

Plate,  by  Maestro  Benedetto 
Mark  of  Benedetto 
Mark  on  Mr.  Henderson’s  dish  ... 
Mark  on  dish  in  Hotel  Cluny 
Bacile  on  dish,  with  portrait 
,,  incredulity  of  St.  Thomas  ... 
Pesaro  inscription 
Vase,  Gubbio  ... 

Dish,  two  horsemen 
Plaque,  St.  Sebastian 
Bowl ... 

Tazza  or  bowl  ... 

Deep  tazza,  Hercules  and  Antseus 
Plateau 

Mark  (probably  of  Giorgio)  with  paraph  e 
Marks  on  a plate  in  the  British  museum 
Small  tazza,  “the  stream  of  life”  .. 
Fac-simile  of  Giorgio’s  mark 
Plate,  Castel  Durante  ... 


PAGE 

82 

83 

84 
87 

90 

91 
91 

93 

95 

97 

98 

98 

99 
99 

lOI 

105 

107 

109 

112 

113 

116 

117 
117 

120 

121 

122 

123 

124 

125 

129 

131 


MAJOLICA,  vii 

PAGE 

Mark,  Castel  Durante  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  132 

Tondino  „ „ ...  ...  ...  ...  133 

Fruttiera  „ ,,  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  133 

Shallow  basin  ,,  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  134 

Dish,  with  portrait  of  Pemgino  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  135 

Mark  and  inscription  of  Nicola  da  U rhino  ...  ...  ...  ...  139 

Mark,  &c.,  of  Guido  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  142 

Pilgrim’s  bottle,  Urbino  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  143 

Mark  of  Francesco  Durantino  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  151 

Dish,  with  Cupids,  Diruta  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  156 

Fabriano  mark  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  157 

Another  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  158 

Viterbo,  part  of  a border  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  159 

Inscription  on  a Roman  vase  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  1 6 1 

Mark  and  date  on  a Faenza  plate...  ...  ...  ...  ...  165 

Plate,  Faenza  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  167 

Mark  on  the  same  plate  .. . ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  167 

Plate,  Faenza  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  168 

Inscription,  Baldasara  Manara  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  169 

Monogram  of  F.  R.  ...  ...  ...  ...  ..  ...  170 

Tazza,  Faenza ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  171 

Plate,  Forli  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  175 

Inscription,  with  portrait-heads  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  176 

Vase,  Ferrara  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  178 

Plateau,  Venice  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  182 

,,  Venice  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  184 

Vase,  uncertain  fabrique  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  185 

Dish,  Tuscan  (?)  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  186 


MAIOLICA. 


A 


CHAPTER  L 

It  is  right,  first,  to  explain  that  in  this  dissertation  we  shall 
make  constant  use  of  two  or  three  words  borrowed  from  foreign 
languages ; one  is  botega  or  bottega,  implying  something  between 
a workshop  and  an  artist’s  studio,  which  it  would  be  difficult  to 
express  by  a single  English  word  : another  is  fabriqice^  meaning 
the  private  establishment  of  a master  potter  of  that  day,  the  idea 
of  which  cannot  be  so  well  conveyed  by  factory,  pottery,  or  studio 
(itself  an  imported  word),  all  of  which  are  therein  combined  and 
modified. 

The  history  of  pottery  and  its  manufacture  is  a subject  of  great 
extent;  ^because  from  a very  early  period  of  human  existence, 
known  to  us  only  by  the  tangible  memorials  of  primitive  inhabi- 
tants, the  potter’s  art  appears  to  have  been  practised.  At  first  the 
vessels  were  of  coarse  clay,  rude  and  sun-dried  or  ill-baked,  and 
occasionally  ornamented  with  concentric  and  transverse  scratches ; 
from  which  state  they  gradually  developed  to  the  exquisite  forms 
and  decoration  of  the  Greek  pottery ; but  it  would  seem  that  how- 
ever universal  the  production  of  vessels  of  baked  clay,  the  art  of 
applying  to  them  a vitreous  covering  or  glaze  was  an  invention 
which  emanated  from  the  east,  from  India  or  Egypt,  Assyria  or 
Babylon. 


13 


2 


MAJOLICA. 


On  this  point  Dr.  Birch,  in  the  introduction  to  his  erudite  work 
on  ancient  pottery,  says  : The  desire  of  rendering  terra-cotta  less 

porous,  and  of  producing  vessels  capable  of  retaining  liquids,  gave 
rise  to  the  covering  of  it  with  a vitreous  enamel  or  glaze.  The 
invention  of  glass  has  hitherto  been  generally  attributed  to  the 
Phoenicians ; but  opaque  glasses  or  enamels  as  old  as  the 
eighteenth  dynasty,  and  enamelled  objects  as  early  as  the  fourth, 
have  been  found  in  Egypt.  The  employment  of  copper  to  pro- 
duce a brilliant  blue  coloured  enamel  was  very  early,  both  in 
Babylonia  and  Assyria ; but  the  use  of  tin  for  a white  enamel,  as 
recently  discovered  in  the  enamelled  bricks  and  vases  of  Baby- 
lonia and  Assyria,  anticipated,  by  many  centuries,  the  re-discovery 
of  that  process  in  Europe  in  the  fifteenth  century,  and  shows  the 
early  application  of  metallic  oxides.  This  invention  apparently 
remained  for  many  centuries  a secret  among  the  eastern  nations 
only,  enamelled  terra-cotta  and  glass  forming  articles  of  com- 
mercial export  from  Egypt  and  Phoenicia  to  every  part  of  the 
Mediterranean.  Among  the  Egyptians  and  Assyrians  enamelling 
was  used  more  frequently  than  glazing,  and  their  works  are  conse- 
quently a kind  of  fayence,  consisting  of  a loose  frit  or  body,  to 
which  an  enamel  adheres,  after  only  a slight  fusion.  After  the 
fall  of  the  Roman  empire  the  art  of  enamelling  terra-cotta  disap- 
peared among  the  Arab  and  Moorish  races,  who  had  retained  a 
traditional  knowledge  of  the  process.  The  application  of  a trans- 
parent vitreous  coating  or  glaze  over  the  entire  surface,  like  the 
varnish  of  a picture,  is  also  referable  to  a high  antiquity,  and  was 
universally  adopted,  either  to  enhance  the  beauty  of  single  colours 
or  to  promote  the  combination  of  many.  Innumerable  fragments 
and  remains  of  glazed  vases,  fabricated  by  the  Greeks  and 
Romans,  not  only  prove  the  early  use  of  glazing,  but  also  exhibit 
in  the  present  day  many  of  the  noblest  efforts  qf  the  potter’s  art.” 
It  is  true  that  on  the  Greek,  Etruscan,  and  Roman  pottery  a 
subdued  and  hardly  apparent  glazing  was  applied  to  the  surface 
of  the  pieces,  but  it  is  so  slight  as  to  leave  a barely  appreciable 


MAJOLICA, 


3 


effect  upon  the  eye,  beyond  that  which  might  be  produced  by  a 
mechanical  polish,  and  so  thinly  laid  on  as  almost  to  defy  attempts 
at  proving  its  nature  by  chemical  investigation ; it  is,  however, 
supposed  to  have  been  produced  by  a dilute  aluminous  soda  glass, 
without  any  trace  of  lead  in  its  composition,  the  greater  portion  of 
which  was  absorbed  into  the  substance  of  the  piece,  thereby  in- 
creasing its  hardness  and  leaving  only  a faint  polish  on  the  surface 
of  the  ware. 

In  Egypt  and  the  east  the  use  of  a distinct  glaze  {invetriatura 
of  the  Italians),  covering  the  otherwise  more  porous  substance  of 
the  vessel,  appears  to  have  been  known  and  to  have  arrived  at 
great  perfection  at  a very  remote  period.  It  was  in  fact  a superior 
ware,  equivalent  to  the  porcelain  of  our  days,  and  from  the  tech- 
nical excellence  of  some  of  the  smaller  pieces  has  been  frequently, 
but  vTongly,  so  called. 

It  will  perhaps  be  as  well,  before  entering  further  into  the  con- 
sideration of  the  subject,  to  define  and  arrange  the  objects  of  our 
attention  under  general  heads. 

Pottery  {Fayence,  Terraglia),  as  distinct  from  porcelain,  is  formed 
of  potter’s  clay  mixed  with  marl  of  argillaceous  and  calcareous 
nature,  and  sand,  variously  proportioned,  and  may  be  classed 
under  two  divisions  : Soft  {Fayence  a pate  tendre)^  and  Hard  {Fay- 
ence  a pate  du7'e),  according  to  the  nature  of  the  composition  or 
the  degree  of  heat  under  which  it  has  been  fired  in  the  kiln. 
What  is  known  generally  in  England  as  earthenware  is  soft,  while 
stone  ware,  queen’s  ware,  &c.  are  hard.  The  characteristics  of  the 
soft  wares  are  a paste,  or  body,  which  may  be  scratched  with  a 
knife  or  file,  and  fusibility,  generally,  at  the  heat  of  a porcelain 
furnace. 

These  soft  wares  may  be  again  divided  into  four  subdivisions  : 
unglazed,  lustrous,  glazed,  and  enamelled.  Among  the  three  first 
of  these  subdivisions  may  be  arranged  almost  all  the  ancient 
pottery  of  Egypt,  Greece,  Etruria,  and  Rome  ; as  also  the  larger 
portion  of  that  in  general  use  among  all  nations  during  mediaeval 


B 2 


4 


MAIOLICA, 


and  modern  times.  We  shall  be  occupied  with  the  glazed  and 
enamelled  wares : the  first  of  which  may  be  again  divided  into 
siliceous  or  glass  glazed,  and  plumbeous  or  lead  glazed. 

In  these  subdivisions  the  foundation  is  in  all  cases  the  same. 
The  mixed  clay  or  paste  ” or  body  ” (varied  in  composition 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  glaze  to  be  superimposed)  is  formed 
by  the  hand,  or  on  the  wheel,  or  impressed  into  moulds ; then 
slowly  dried  and  baked  in  a furnace  or  stove,  after  which,  on  cool- 
ing, it  is  in  a state  to  receive  the  glaze.  This  is  prepared  by  fusing 
sand  or  other  siliceous  material  with  potash  or  soda  to  form  a 
translucent  glass,  the  composition,  in  the  main,  of  the  glaze  upon 
siliceous  wares.  The  addition  of  a varying  but  considerable 
quantity  of  the  oxide  of  lead,  by  which  it  is  rendered  more  easily 
fusible  but  still  translucent,  constitutes  the  glaze  of  plumbeous 
wares : and  the  further  addition  of  the  oxide  of  tin  produces  an 
enamel  of  an  opaque  white  of  great  purity,  which  is  the  character- 
istic glazing  of  stanniferous  or  tin-glazed  wares.  In  every  case 
the  vitreous  substance  is  reduced  to  the  finest  powder  by  mechani- 
cal and  other  means,  being  milled  with  water  to  the  consistency  of 
cream ; into  this  the  dry  and  absorbent  baked  piece  is  dipped  and 
withdrawn,  leaving  a coating  of  the  material  of  the  bath  adhering 
to  its  surface.  A second  firing,  when  quite  dry,  fuses  this  coating 
into  a glazed  surface  on  the  piece,  rendering  it  lustrous  and  im- 
permeable to  liquids.  The  two  former  of  these  glazes  may  be 
variously  coloured  by  the  admixture  of  metallic  oxides,  as  copper 
for  green,  iron  for  yellow,  &c.  j but  they  are  nevertheless  translu- 
cent, and  show  the  natural  colour  of  the  baked  clay  beneath. 
Vitreous  or  Glass-Glazed  Wares. 

The  vitreous,  silico-alcaline  or  glass-glazed  wares,  were  of  very 
ancient  date  and  in  all  probability  had  their  origin  in  the  east,  in 
Egypt,  or  India,  or  Phoenicia  j indeed  the  discovery  of  glass,  which 
has  always  been  attributed  to  the  latter  country,  would  soon  direct 
the  pottePs  attention  to  a mode  of  covering  his  porous  vessel  of 
baked  earth  with  a coating  of  the  new  material  \ but  the  ordinary 


MAIOLICA. 


5 


baked  clay  would  not  take  or  hold  the  glaze,  which  rose  in 
bubbles  and  scaled  off,  refusing  to  adhere  to  the  surface,  and  it 
became  necessary  to  form  the  pieces  of  a mixed  material,  consist- 
ing of  much  siliceous  sand,  some  aluminous  earth,  and  probably 
small  portion  of  alcali,  thus  rendering  it  of  a nature  approximat- 
ing to  that  of  the  glaze,  and  to  which  the  latter  firmly  adhered. 
In  some  instances,  on  the  finer  examples  which  may  probably 
have  been  exposed  to  a higher  temperature  in  the  oven,  the  glaze 
and  the  body  of  the  piece  have  become  so  incorporated  as  to  pro- 
duce a semi-translucent  substance,  analogous  to  some  artificial 
porcelains.  In  its  nature  this  glaze  is  translucent,  and  accordingly 
we  find  that  when  ornamented  with  designs,  they  are  executed 
directly  on  the  ‘‘biscuit”  or  unglazed  surface  of  the  piece,  which 
then  receives  its  vitreous  covering  through  which  they  are  appa- 
rent. By  means  of  an  oxide  of  copper  the  exquisite  turquoise 
blue  of  ancient  Egypt,  “ scarcely  rivalled  after  thirty  centuries  of 
human  experience,”  was  produced.  The  green  colour  was,  perhaps, 
given  by  means  of  another  oxide  of  the  same  metal ; violet  by 
manganese  or  gold,  yellow  by  silver  or  perhaps  by  iron,  and  the 
rarer  red  perhaps  by  the  protoxide  of  copper.  We  also  find  that 
bricks  and  vases  of  similar  glazing,  brought  to  its  greatest  perfec- 
tion in  Egypt,  were  made  by  the  Babylonians  and  Assyrians. 

Throughout  Babylonia  the  sites  of  ancient  buildings  afford  frag- 
ments of  glazed  pottery.  The  glaze  of  those  brought  from  Borsippa 
by  the  abbe  Beauchamp,  in  1790,  was  analysed  and  found  to  con- 
tain neither  the  oxides  of  lead  nor  tin,  but  to  be  an  alcaline  silicate 
with  alumina,  coloured  by  metallic  oxides.  A more  recent  analysis 
of  Assyrian  examples  shows  that  Avith  a base  of  silicate  of  soda  or 
soda  glass  and  oxide  of  tin  the  opaque  white  has  been  produced, 
being  the  earliest  recorded  example  of  “enamelled”  ware.  A 
small  quantity  of  oxide  of  lead  w^as  also  found  in  the  blue  glaze 
on  tiles  from  Babylonia.  At  Warka,  probably  the  ancient  Ur  of 
the  Chaldees,  Mr.  Loftus  discovered  numerous  coffins  or  sarco- 
phagi, piled  one  upon  another  to  the  height  of  forty-five  feet,  of 


6 


MAJOLICA. 


peculiar  form,  and  made  of  terra-cotta  glazed  with  a siliceous  glaze 
of  bluish-green  colour.  They  are  formed  somewhat  like  a shoe, 
an  opening  being  left  at  the  upper  and  wider  end  for  the  insertion 
of  the  body,  and  closed  by  an  oval  lid  which,  as  well  as  the  upper 
part  of  the  coffin,  is  ornamented  with  figures  and  plants  in  relief. 
They  are  supposed  to  be  of  the  Sassanian  period. 

The  metallic  lustre  in  decoration  was  applied,  apparently  at 
an  early  time,  to  pottery  glazed  with  a siliceous  coating,  and 
appears  to  have  established  itself  in  Persia.  On  specimens  from 
Arabia  it  is  also  found,  and  its  use  in  combination  with  this 
glaze  may  possibly  have  preceded  the  manufacture  of  lustred 
wares  coated  with  the  stanniferous  enamel,  by  the  eastern  potters 
of  the  Balearic  islands,  Spain,  and  Sicily. 

In  northern  India,  at  Sind,  and  in  Persia,  wares  are  made  at 
the  present  day  of  precisely  the  same  character  as  the  ancient 
pottery  under  consideration.  Pieces  from  the  former  locality, 
which  were  exhibited  at  the  International  Exhibition  of  1871, 
are  composed  of  a sandy  argillaceous  frit,  ornamented  with 
pattern  in  cobalt  blue  beneath  a siliceous  glaze.  Indeed  their 
agreement  in  technical  character  with  some  of  the  pottery  of 
the  ancient  Egyptians  and  Assyrians,  and  with  that  produced 
in  Syria  and  Persia  during  the  fourteenth,  fifteenth,  and  six- 
teenth centuries,  is  most  remarkable.  Persia  also  now  produces 
inferior  wares  of  the  same  class,  specimens  of  which,  as  well  as 
some  of  those  from  India,  are  preserved  in  the  South  Kensington 
museum  : the  engraving  on  the  opposite  page  represents  a wall 
tile  (no.  623)  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

We  thus  see  how  widely  spread,  and  at  how  early  a period, 
the  use  of  this  most  ancient  mode  of  glazing  was  established  and 
brought  to  perfection.  It  was  the  parent  of  all  those  wares  now 
known  as  Persian,  Damascus,  Rhodian,  or  Lindus. 

Plumbeous,  or  Lead  Glazed  Wares. 

The  silico-plumbeous  or  lead-glazed  wares  were  for  many  ages 
and  still  are  the  most  common,  and,  in  Europe,  the  most  widely 


MAIOLICA, 


7 


spread  class  of  pottery:  indeed,  throughout  the  northern  and 
western  countries  lead,  in  combination  with  glass,  seems  to  have 


been  the  earliest  and  until  the  fifteenth  century  the  only  means 
known  of  glazing  soft  pottery. 

We  have  seen  that  a certain  amount  of  lead  has  been  found 


8 


MAIOLICA. 


in  some  of  the  blue  coloured  glazes  of  Babylonia,  and  (says  Dr. 
Percy)  ‘‘probably  employed  as  a flux;”  if  so,  this  might  have 
been  the  spring  of  its  general  adoption  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
ducing a more  easily  fusible  and  therefore 'a  more  ready  and 
more  manageable  coating ; but  in  the  east  it  does  not  seem  to 
have  supplanted  the  more  elegant  and  purer  siliceous  glaze. 

Fragments  of  Grseco-Roman  pottery  from  Tarsus,  lamps  from 
the  neighbourhood  of  Naples,  and  other  examples  of  a highly 
glazed  pottery  from  various  antique  sites  which  have  all  the 
appearance  of  a plumbeous  composition,  are  preserved  in  many 
collections,  as  at  the  Louvre,  Naples,  the  British  museum,  &c. 
The  paste  of  which  these  examples  are  formed  is  to  all  appear- 
ance an  ordinary  potter’s  clay,  generally  of  a buff  colour,  and 
in  no'  way  similar  in  character  to  that  of  the  Egyptian  or 
Assyrian  wares,  glazed  with  a true  glass.  The  adhesion  of  the 
vitreous  coating  to  the  surface,  and  its  perfect  adaptability  to 
the  irregularities  of  the  shaped  and  moulded  pieces,  prove  its 
affinity  for  the  paste  of  which  they  are  made,  and  indirectly 
that  its  composition  is  not  the  same  as  that  of  the  Egyptian  or 
Assyrian  glaze. 

It  is  v/orthy  of  remark  that  nearly  all  these  specimens  are 
found  in  the  south  of  Europe,  examples  rarely  occurring  even 
at  Rome;  and,  indeed,  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  use  of  this 
glaze  had  hardly  been  adopted  by  the  artistic  potters  before 
their  art,  together  with  all  others,  had  degenerated  under  the 
Lower  Empire.  The  superabundance  of  the  precious  metals 
and  other  rich  material,  more  appreciated  by  the  powerful  than 
the  priceless  treasures  which  art  had  formed  from  common  clay, 
and  which  had  been  the  delight  of  a more  refined  state  of 
society,  led  finally  to  a total  neglect  of  the  higher  branches  of 
ceramic  manufacture. 

It  is  not  unlikely  that  plumbeous  glaze  may  have  been  intro- 
duced by  Greek  or  oriental  potters  into  southern  Italy.  We 
learn  from  the  monk  Theophilus  that  the  art  of  decorating  fictile 


MAJOLICA. 


9 


vessels  with  vitreous  colours  was  practised  by  the  Byzantine 
Greeks,  who  would  have  carried  it  there.  This  statement,  in 
all  probability,  refers  to  the  lead  glazed  wares  and  not  to  the 
tin  enamel,  the  former  of  which,  as  we  have  seen,  was  known 
earlier  than  his  time  to  the  potters  of  Tarsus,  Pompeii,  &c.,  and 
it  is  reasonable  to  believe  that  the  art  may  have  been  preserved 
in  Byzantium  when  lost,  or  nearly  lost,  in  Italy.  Perhaps,  in 
combination  with  incised  ornament  the  use  of  this  glaze  never 
ceased  in  that  country  from  the  eighth  and  ninth  centuries  until 
the  introduction  or  discovery  of  the  stanniferous  enamel  in  the 
fifteenth  century  3 and  we  find  that  the  earliest  glazed  wares  of 
that  country,  the  sgrqffiatl,  the  painted,  and  the  7uezza  maiolica 
wares,  are  covered  with  this  description  of  vitreous  surface. 

In  the  eleventh  century  churches  built  in  various  places  were 
decorated  with  discs  and  “ ciotole  ” of  glazed  and  painted  terra- 
cotta. The  researches  of  the  abbe  Cochet  at  Bouteilles  have 
shown  that  glazed  pottery  was  in  use  in  the  north  of  France  in 
the  Anglo-norman  period  of  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  cen- 
turies, or  perhaps  even  in  earlier  time.  Examples  of  glazed  and 
painted  tiles  of  the  fourteenth  century  are  preserved  in  the  British 
museum.  As  before  stated,  this  glaze  is  composed  of  silica 
with  varying  proportions  of  potash  or  soda  and  of  oxide  of  lead, 
by  which  addition  it  is  rendered  more  easily  fusible  but  remains 
transparent. 

To  obtain  a white  surface  was,  however,  desirable,  the  colour 
of  the  paste  beneath  the  glaze  being  generally  of  a dull  red 
or  buff  and  ill-adapted  as  a ground  for  the  display  of  coloured 
ornamentation.  To  supply  this  want,  before  the  invention  of 
the  tin  enamel,  an  intervening  process  was  adopted.  A white 
argillaceous  earth  of  the  nature  of  pipeclay  was  purified  and 
milled  with  water,  and  thus  applied  over  the  coarser  surface  of 
the  piece  in  the  same  manner  as  the  glaze : again  dried,  or 
slightly  fixed  by  fire,  it  was  ready  to  receive  the  translucent 
coat  through  which  the  white  ‘^slip”  or  ‘^engobe”  became 


lO 


MAJOLICA. 


apparent.  It  is  easy  to  conceive  that  by  scratching  a design  or 
pattern  through  this  white  applied  surface  to  the  darker  clay 
beneath,  before  fixing  in  the  fire,  a ready  mode  of  decoration 
presented  itself  without  the  use  of  colour,  to  be  covered  with 
but  visible  through  the  glaze;  hence  the  early  incised  or 
sgraffiato  ” ware,  one  of  the  primitive  modes  of  decorating 
glazed  pottery. 

Passeri  states  that  pottery  works  existed  from  remote  periods 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Pesaro,  as  proved  by  remains  of  fur- 
naces and  fragments  of  Roman  time  and  tiles  with  the  stamp 
of  Theodoric;  that  during  the  dark  ages  the  manufacture  was 
neglected,  but  that  it  revived  after  1300,  and  that  it  then  became 
the  fashion  in  that  city  to  adorn  the  church  towers  and  fagades 
with  discs  and  “bacini”  of  coloured  and  glazed  earthenware; 
a practice  which  had  been  in  use  at  Pisa  and  other  cities  as 
early  as  the  eleventh  century.  The  origin  of  this  custom  has  been 
much  discussed ; and  the  reader  will  find  an  account  of  it  in 
the  introduction  to  the  detailed  catalogue  of  Maiolica  in  the 
South  Kensington  collection.  Occasionally,  or  rather  frequently, 
circular  and  square  slabs  of  porphyry  and  serpentine  were  used 
on  the  same  building,  concurrently  with  the  glazed  earthenware, 
as  on  the  tower  of  Sta.  Maria  Maggiore  at  Rome ; and,  indeed, 
this  mode  of  enrichment  attached  to  the  architecture  of  the 
nth,  1 2th,  and  13th  centuries  is  in  accordance  with  that  pro- 
duced by  the  enamelled  discs  and  inlaid  stones  on  processional 
crosses  and  church  plate  of  the  same  period. 

The  only  instance,  observed  by  the  writer,  of  the  occurrence  of 
these  bacini  ” of  glazed  ware  in  domestic  architecture  is  seen 
over  the  windows  of  the  palazzo  Fava  in  Bologna.  This  style  of 
decoration  ceased  entirely  during  the  course  of  the  fourteenth 
century. 

Passeri  instances  the  use  of  glaze  on  tiles  upon  a tomb  in 
Bologna,  opposite  the  church  of  S.  Domenico,  dated  about  1100  ; 
and  he  further  states,  but  we  know  not  upon  what  authority,  that 


MAJOLICA. 


1 1 

it  was  about  the  year  1300  that  the  method  of  covering  the  clay 
with  a slip  ” or  “ engobe  ” of  white  earth,  or  the  coarser  earth  of 
Verona,  was  first  adopted.  Slightly  baked,  it  was  glazed  with 
“ marzacotto  ” (oxide  of  lead  and  glass),  applied  wet  and  again 
fired ; and  this  glaze  was  variously  coloured  yellow,  green,  black, 
and  blue,  by  iron,  copper,  manganese,  and  cobalt.  A similar 
method  of  coating  the  rough  and  porous  baked  clay  seems  to 
have  been  known  also  at  a very  early  period  in  the  north  of 
Europe,  and  to  have  been  in  use  throughout  France,  Germany, 
and  England. 


CHAPTER  II. 


Enamelled  or  Stanniferous  Glazed  Wares. 

It  was  found  that  by  the  addition  of  a certain  portion  of  the 
oxide  of  tin  to  the  composition  of  glass  and  oxide  of  lead  the 
character  of  the  glaze  entirely  alters.  Instead  of  being  translucent 
it  becomes,  on  fusion,  an  opaque  and  beautifully  white  enamel, 
the  intervening  process  of  covering  the  surface  of  the  clay  with 
a stratum  of  white  earth  before  glazing  being  unnecessary.  It, 
moreover,  was  found  to  afford  a better  ground  for  the  application 
of  coloured  ornament.  The  process  of  application  was  the  same 
as  for  the  “ slip ; ” after  immersion  in  the  enamel  bath,  and  sub- 
sequent drying,  the  painting  is  applied  upon  the  absorbent  surface; 
the  piece  being  then  subjected  to  the  fire  which,  at  one  applica- 
tion, fixes  the  colours  and  liquifies  the  glaze.  This  “ enamelled  ” 
pottery  {emaillee)  is  by  far  the  more  important  group  of  the  glazed 
wares,  being  susceptible  of  decoration  by  the  liistre  pigments,  as 
well  as  by  painting  in  colours  of  great  delicacy ; and  it  comprises 
the  Hispano-moresque,  the  real  Maiolica,  and  the  perfected  earthen- 
ware of  Italy  and  other  countries. 

It  is  true  that  the  first  trace  of  the  application  of  oxide  of  tin  to 
produce  a white  opaque  glazed  surface  is  to  be  met  with  upon 
Babylonian  or  Assyrian  bricks,  but  we  are  disposed  to  think  that 
it  was  then  merely  used  as  a pigment  to  produce  a white  colour, 
and  not  as  an  application  to  pottery  for  the  production  of  a white 
opaque  glaze  capable  of  receiving  coloured  enrichment  by  painting 
in  other  pigments.  A corroboration  of  this  opinion  would  seem 
to  exist  in  the  fact  that  throughout  Asia  Minor,  Syria,  Persia,  and 


MAIOLICA, 


13 


Egypt,  a purely  stanniferous  glaze  on  pottery  has  never  been 
generally  adopted,  or  taken  the  place  of  that  simple  and  beautiful 
siliceous  coating,  so  dexterously  applied  and  with  such  richness  of 
effect  upon  the  Persian  and  Damascus  earthenware.  Engraved 
is  an  example  of  an  early  Damascus  plate  (no.  6590),  at  South 


Kensington.  Perhaps  isolated  and  lying  dormant  in  remote 
localities  for  centuries,  its  use  may  have  been  learned  by  the 
Arabs,  for  its  next  appearance  is  upon  fragments  of  tiling  appa- 
rently of  their  manufacture  or  fashioned  under  their  influence. 
How  the  knowledge  of  this  enamel  travelled,  when  and  where  it 
was  first  used,  and  to  what  extent  applied,  is  still  doubtful.  We 
meet  with  an  occasional  fragment  generally  upon  mural  decora- 
tion of  uncertain  date  on  various  Arab  sites,  till  at  length  it 


14 


MAJOLICA, 


becomes  palpably  appreciable  in  the  Moorish  potteries  of  Spain 
and  of  the  Balearic  islands.  The  baron  J.  Ch.  Davillier,  in  his 
excellent  work  on  pottery,  states  that  he  has  not  been  able  to 
discover  any  piece  which  could  reasonably  be  ascribed  to  a date 
anterior  to  the  fourteenth  century,  some  two  hundred  years  after 
the  expulsion  of  the  Saracens  from  Spain.  In  Valencia,  however, 
anterior  to  its  conquest  by  Jayme  I.  of  Arragon  in  1239,  potteries 
had  been  long  established,  and  were  of  such  importance  that  that 
monarch  felt  himself  bound  to  protect  the  Moorish  potters  of 
Xativa  (San  Filippo)  by  a special  edict. 

We  must  bear  in  mind  that  there  were  two  periods  of  Mahom- 
medan  sway  in  Spain,  the  first  on  the  expulsion  of  the  Gothic 
monarchy  by  the  Arabs  and  the  establishment  of  the  Caliphate 
at  Cordova,  in  the  eighth  century.  Of  the  ceramic  productions 
of  this  early  period  we  have  no  accurate  knowledge,  but  we 
should  expect  to  find  them  of  similar  character  to  the  siliceous 
glazed  wares  prevalent  in  the  east.  The  second  period  is  after 
an  interval  of  five  centuries,  in  1235,  when  the  Moors  founded 
the  kingdom  of  Granada,  having  driven  out  the  Arabs.  Then 
first  appear  the  wares  usually  known  as  Hispano-moresque, 
like  the  fine  vase  (engraved)  no.  8968,  at  South  Kensington; 
for  we  find  the  tiles  of  the  Alhambra  dating  about  1300,  the 
Alhambra  vase  about  1320,  and  continuous  abundant  examples 
of  tin  glazed  wares  of  Moorish  origin,  until  the  period  of  the 
conquest  of  the  country  by  Ferdinand  and  Isabella;  after  which 
the  pottery  becomes  more  purely  Spanish  and  speedily  de- 
clines. 

Mr.  Marryat  remarks,  in  reference  to  the  second  or  Moorish 
period,  that  the  art  of  the  new  invaders  had  the  same  origin  as 
the  old,  but  as  we  have  no  specimens  known  to  have  been  of  the 
earlier  or  Arabian  period  we  cannot  accept  this  verdict  as  con- 
clusive. Moreover,  some  confusion  has  arisen  in  classing  together 
the  glass  glazed  or  siliceous  pottery,  with  or  without  metallic 
lustre,  and  the  Moresque  wares  produced  in  Spain,  which  are  so 


MAIOLICA, 


15 


distinctly  characteristic  as  being  enamelled  with  the  oxide  of  tin. 


We  particularly  refer  to  those  somewhat  rare  examples  of  early 
siliceous  pottery,  like  the  deep  Rhodian  plate  next  engraved,  some 


i6 


MAJOLICA. 


enriched  with  metallic  lustre,  others  without,  the  designs  upon  all 
of  which  are  eminently  Arabian  or  Saracenic,  unreadable  mock 
Arabic  inscriptions  occurring  (as  in  the  textile  fabrics  of  the  same 
period)  among  the  ornaments ; as  in  the  thirteenth  century  vase 
in  the  woodcut,  p.  1 7.  Such  are  the  tiles  of  early  date  from  various 


places  in  Persia  and  Arabia.  Similar  wares,  of  which  there 
are  specimens  at  South  Kensington,  are  supposed  to  have  been 
made  by  oriental  potters  in  Sicily  but  it  is  difficult  to  say  at  what 
time.  That  island  was  conquered  by  the  Saracens  in  827. 
Again,  there  is  another  variety  of  pottery  of  Moresque  character 
and  ornamentation  with  vermicular  pattern  in  copper  lustre  on  a 
seemingly  stanniferous  glaze,  which  is  ascribed  to  Moorish  potters 


MAIOLICA. 


17 


who  went  to  Sicily  and  established  works  at  Calata  Girone  in  the 

fourteenth  century.  _ ^ ^ . 

It  is  not  improbable  that  the  existence  in  Spain  of  tin  ores  m 


considerable  abundance  may  have  accidentally  led  to  the  discovery 
or  to  the  adoption  of  the  stanniferous  enamel,  obtained  by  an 
admixture  of  the  oxide  of  that  metal  with  glass  and  oxide  of  lead. 
We  have  no  positive  proof  of  its  use  on  pottery  at  an  earlier  date 
in  any  other  country,  since  the  period  of  the  Babylonian  bricks. 


i8 


MAJOLICA. 


May  there  not  be  some  truth  in  the  story  of  the  Majorcan  dishes 
built  into  the  Pisan  towers^  and  that  the  single  specimen  of 
Persian  ” ware  found  by  the  writer  on  the  church  of  Sta.  Cecilia 
in  that  city,  which  in  all  probability  was  placed  there  early  in  the 
twelfth  century,  may  be  one  of  the  dishes  brought  home  by  the 
Pisans,  at  a time  anterior  to  the  use  of  the  tin  enamel  in  Majorca? 

There  is  generally  a foundation  for  fabulous  stories,  and  it  is 
not  unlikely  that  some  few  of  those  trophies  were  so  applied ; the 
more  so  as  the  taste  for  such  architectural  decoration  prevailed  at 
that  period.  At  the  same  time  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  many 
of  the  bacini  adorning  churches  in  various  parts  of  Italy,  including 
Pisa,  were  of  native  Italian  manufacture,  as  would  seem  probable 
from  their  compositions  and  designs.  Engravings  of  these,  and  of 
the  fragment  of  oriental  ware  above  alluded  to,  are  published  in 
the  Archseologia,  vol.  xlii.  We  are  indebted  to  the  council  of  the 
Society  of  antiquaries  for  permission  (see  next  page)  to  use  the 
latter  block. 

The  earliest  traces  of  the  use  of  stanniferous  enamel  glaze  in 
Europe,  known  to  us,  is  always  in  connection  with  a decoration, 
produced  by  the  reduction  of  certain  metallic  salts  in  the  reverber- 
atory furnace,  leaving  a thin  film  upon  the  surface,  which  gives 
that  beautiful  and  rich  effect  known  as  reflet  metallique^  7iacre^ 
eangiante,  rulino^  reveiJerato^  &c.,  and  in  England  as  lustred  ware. 
In  Italy  the  use  of  a metallic  lustre  was  apparently  known  and 
practised  previous  to  the  introduction  of  the  tin  enamel,  for  we 
have  abundant  examples  of  early  “ mezza-maiolica  ” from  the 
potteries  of  Pesaro  or  Gubbio,  glazed  only  with  the  oxide  of  lead 
and  glass,  and  which  are  brilliantly  lustred  with  the  metallic 
colours.  None  of  these  can,  however,  be  referred  to  an  earlier 
date  than  the  latter  half  of  the  fifteenth  century. 

Of  whom,  then,  did  the  Italian  potters  learn  this  art  ? We  have 
no  answer  to  the  question  in  any  historical  record,  and  we  are 
forced  to  infer  that  the  name  by  which  this  lustred  ware  was  known 
at  the  time  and  in  the  country  of  its  production,  reflected  that  of 


MAIOLICA. 


19 


the  place  from  which  it 
was  derived.  Accordingly 
we  find  that  the  coarser 
lead  glazed  lustred  ware 
was  known  as  “ mezza- 
maiolica,”  while  that 
more  nearly  resembling 
its  original,  by  the  use 
of  the  tin  enamel,  was 
known  as  “ maiolica.” 

That  the  Moorish  potters 
of  Maj  orca  conveyed  this 
knowledge,  and  that  the 
Italians  named  their  ware 
after  that  of  the  island, 
would  seem  a reasonable 
conclusion.  M.  Jacque- 
mart,  however,  thinks  it 
equally  probable  that 
although  the  Majorcan 
Avares  Avere  well  known 
in  Italy,  this  art  may 
really  have  been  com- 
municated by  Persian 
potters,  or  their  pupils, 
coming  to  the  eastern 
ports  of  Italy ; and  that 
the  style  of  decoration 
on  the  early  Italian 
lustred  Avares  is  more 
Persian  than  Moresque. 

This  would  also  in  some 
measure  explain  why  the 

lustrous  colours  were  used  at  some  potteries  anterior  to  the  adop- 

c 2 


20 


MAJOLICA. 


tion  of  the  stanniferous  enamel.  The  woodcut  represents  a bowl 
at  South  Kensington,  no.  503,  possibly  of  this  manufacture,  and 
of  great  rarity.  In  date  it  is  somewhat  late  ; about  1490. 


The  general  term  ‘‘  Maiolica,”  also  spelt  “Majolica,’’  has  long 
been  and  is  still  erroneously  applied  to  all  varieties  of  glazed 
earthenware  of  Italian  origin.  We  have  seen  that  it  was  not  so 
originally  but  that  the  term  was  restricted  to  the  lustred  wares, 
which  resemble  in  that  respect  those  of  the  island  from  which  they 
had  long  been  imported  into  Italy.  It  is  a curious  fact,  proving 
their  estimation  in  that  country,  that  nearly  all  the  specimens  of 
Hispano-moresque  pottery  which  adorn  our  cabinets  and  enrich 
our  museums  have  been  procured  in  Italy;  comparatively  few 
pieces  having  been  found  in  Spain. 

Scaliger  states  in  reference  to  the  Italian  pottery  as  comparable 
with  the  porcelain  of  China,  that  the  former  derived  its  name  from 
Majorca,  of  which  the  wares  are  most  excellent.  Fabio  Ferrari 
also,  in  his  work  upon  the  origin  of  the  Italian  language,  states  his 
belief  “that  the  use  of  majolica,  as  well  as  the  name,  came  from 
Majorca,  which  the  ancient  Tuscan  writers  called  Maiolica.”  Thus 
Dante  writes  : — “ Tra  1’  isola  di  Cipri  e Maiolica ; ” showing  the 


MAIOLICA. 


2 I 

then  mode  of  spelling  the  name  of  the  island,  and  it  would  seem 
but  natural  to  distinguish  an  imitation  of  its  produce  as  “ a la 
Maiolica.” 

The  “ mezza-maiolica  ” was  the  coarser  ware,  formed  of  potter’s 
earth,  covered  with  a white  slip  ” upon  which  the  subject  was 
painted;  then  glazed  with  the  common  ‘‘marza-cotto”  or  lead 
glaze,  over  which  the  lustre  pigments  were  applied.  The 
“ maiolica,”  on  the  other  hand,  was  the  tin  enamelled  ware 
similarly  lustred.  As  before  stated,  these  terms  were  ‘Originally 
used  with  reference  only  to  the  lustred  wares,  but  towards  the 
middle  of  the  sixteenth  century  they  seem  to  have  been  generally 
applied  to  the  glazed  earthenware  of  Italy.  We  think  with  M. 
Jacquemart,  M.  Darcel,  Mr.  J.  C.  Robinson,  and  others,  that  the 
word  maiolica  should  be  again  restricted  to  the  lustred  wares, 
although  in  Italy  and  elsewhere  it  is  habitually  used  to  designate 
all  the  numerous  varieties  of  glazed  earthenware,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  more  common  “terraglia”  and  in  distinction  from 
porcelain. 

The  Germans  ascribe  the  discovery  of  the  tin  enamel  glazing  to 
a potter  of  Schelestadt,  in  Alsace,  whose  name  is  unknown  but 
who  died  in  the  year  1283;  and  in  the  convent  of  St.  Paul  at 
Leipzic  is  a frieze  of  large  glazed  tiles,  with  heads  in  relief,  the 
date  of  which  is  stated  to  be  1207.  The  potters’  art  is  said  to 
have  developed  itself  in  that  country  at  an  earlier  period  than  in 
Italy;  rilievo  architectural  decorations,  monuments  with  figures  in 
high  relief,  and  other  works  of  great  artistic  merit  having  been 
executed  in  1230  at  Breslau,  where  there  is  a monument  to 
Henry  IV.  of  Silesia  who  died  in  1290,  an  important  work  in  this 
material.  Later,  at  Nuremberg,  the  elder  Veit  Hirschvogel  was 
born  in  1441,  and  by  him  the  use  of  the  tin  glaze  was  known. 
Specimens  ascribed  to  his  hand  and  dating  from  1470  are 
preserved  in  museums.  At  Strehla  a pulpit  of  glazed  terra-cotta  is 
of  the  date  1565,  and  at  Saltzburg  is  the  wonderful  chimney-piece 
of  the  fifteenth  century,  still  in  its  original  position  in  the  Schloss. 


22 


MAIOLICA, 


At  that  time,  also,  Hans  Kraut,  of  Villengen  in  Swabia,  produced 
good  works,  but  it  is  probable  that  many  of  these  larger  examples 
are  covered  with  an  admirably  manipulated  green  or  brown  glaze 
which  is  produced  without  the  admixture  of  tin. 

In  Italy  history  has  always  awarded  the  honour  of  its  discovery 
to  Luca  della  Robbia,  whose  first  great  work  was  executed  in 
1438  j and  however  recent  observation  may  lead  to  the  assumption 
that  its  use  was  known  in  the  Italian  potteries  before  his  time, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  his  was  not  merely  an  application  of  a 
well-known  process  to  a new  purpose,  but  that  he  really  did  invent 
an  enamel  of  peculiar  whiteness  and  excellence,  better  adapted  to 
his  purpose  and  of  somewhat  diiferent  composition  from  that  in 
use  at  any  of  the  potteries  of  his  time. 


CHAPTER  III. 


We  have  already  seen  that  in  the  twelfth,  thirteenth,  and 
fourteenth  centuries  native  wmes  were  produced  in  various  places, 
some  of  which  still  exist  in  the  towers  and  facades  of  churches, 
and  of  a palace  at  Bologna.  These  are  lead  glazed,  rudely 
painted  or  with  single  colours,  and  in  some  instances  ‘‘sgrafhato” 
proving  that  the  use  of  a white  “ slip/’  or  engobe  ” was  known 
in  Italy  at  that  period,  as  affirmed  by  Passeri,  who  further  asserts 
that  in  1300  the  art  assumed  a more  decorative  character,  under 
the  then  lords  of  Pesaro,  the  Malatestas.  Having  thus  attained 
an  even  opaque  white  surface  the  development  of  its  artistic 
decoration  steadily  advanced.  The  colours  used  were  yellow, 
green,  blue,  and  black,  to  which  we  may  add  a dull  brownish  red, 
noticed  on  some  of  the  Pisan  bacini.”  Passeri  states  that  the 
reflection  of  the  sun’s  rays  from  the  concave  surfaces  of  these 
bacini  ” at  Pesaro  was  most  brilliant,  and  hence  it  has  been 
wrongly  inferred  that  they  were  enriched  with  metallic  lustre. 
We  believe  that  this  effect  may  arise  from  iridescence  on  the 
surface  of  the  soft  lead  glaze,  easily  decomposed  by  the  action  of 
the  atmosphere  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  sea. 

Pieces  exist,  of  considerable  merit,  which  may  be  ascribed  to 
an  earlier  period  than  that  on  which  we  find  the  earliest  date. 
A votive  plaque  preserved  in  the  museum  of  the  hotel  Cluny, 
at  Paris,  has  the  sacred  monogram  surrounded  by  the  legend 

iHU'coIabs  * tie  * * ati  * pnorem  * tiei  * et  * Sancti  * 

i^lici)aelig  * fecit  * fieri  * ano  * 1475.  We  have  always  considered 
this  plaque  as  of  Faenza,  but  it  would  seem  that  MM.  Jacquemart 


24 


MAJOLICA. 


and  Darcel  are  disposed  to  ascribe  it  to  Caffaggiolo.  The  next 
example,  two  years  later  in  sequence  of  date,  is  in  the  possession 
of  Mr.  Cook ; it  represents  the  Virgin  seated  on  a throne  in  an 
architectural  framing,  and  holding  the  Child ; it  has  all  the  charac- 
teristics of  a Tuscan  origin  and  the  glaze  appears  to  be  stannife- 
rous. We  next  have  the  Faenza  plate  in  the  Correr  museum  at 
Venice,  dated  1482,  followed  by  the  plaque  ascribed  to  Forli, 
1489,  and  one  of  Faenza,  1491.  Other  pieces,  dated  i486  and 
1487,  are  in  other  collections.  But  we  have  no  record  or  dated 
example  of  Italian  pottery,  coated  with  the  stanniferous  enamel, 
previous  to  the  first  important  production  by  Luca  della  Robbia 
in  1438. 

M.  Jacquemart  is  of  opinion  that  the  use  of  the  tin  enamel  was 
known  on  pottery  in  Italy  previous  to  its  application  to  sculpture 
by  that  artist,  and  in  this  opinion  Mr.  Robinson  agrees ; yet  it 
is  remarkable  that  no  record  of  such  knowledge  has  descended  to 
us.  No  enamelled  product  of  the  early  fabriques  of  Faenza  or 
Caffaggiolo  bears  an  earlier  date,  nor  of  that  of  Pesaro  where 
decoration  by  means  of  the  lustre  pigments  is  believed  to  have 
preceded  their  application  on  enamelled  wares ; whereas  the  use 
of  the  tin  enamel  by  Luca  on  flat  painted  surfaces  is  proved  by 
the  tondo  on  the  church  of  Or  San  Michele,  the  lunette  over  a 
door  at  the  Opera  del  Duomo,  and  the  tiles  on  the  tomb  of 
Benozzo  Federighi,  bishop  of  Fiesole,  now  in  the  church  of  S. 
Francesco  de  Paolo  below  Bellosguardo,  as  Florentine  evidences ; 
and  the  twelve  circular  discs,  on  which  are  painted  allegorical 
figures  of  the  twelve  months,  are  also  to  be  referred  to  at  South 
Kensington. 

Mr.  J.  C.  Robinson,  in  his  catalogue  of  Italian  sculpture,  has 
given  a notice  of  the  life  and  works  of  Luca  della  Robbia  and  his 
family,  and  a description  of  the  specimens  ascribed  to  them  and 
possessed  by  the  museum  at  South  Kensington ; the  majority  of 
these  rank  as  works  of  sculpture,  but  among  the  rest  are  the  tondi^ 
here  mentioned,  a wood-cut  from  one  of  which  we  introduce.  They 


MAIOLICA, 


25 


are,  in  fact,  circular  plaques  of  enamelled  pottery  painted  on  the 
plain  surface  with  allegorical  representations  of  the  months,  in  all 
probability  by  the  hand  of  Luca  della  Robbia  himself.  We 


quote  Mr.  Robinson’s  description  of  them  from  page  59  of  that 
catalogue : — 

‘^Nos.  7632-7643.  Luca  della  Robbia.  A series  of  twelve 
circular  medallions,  in  enamelled  terra-cotta,  painted  in  chiaAoscuro, 
with  impersonations  of  the  twelve  months.  Diameter  of  each,  i 
foot  I olr  inches.  Vasari  tells  us  that  ‘Luca  sought  to  invent  a 
method  of  painting  figures  and  historical  representations  on  flat 
surfaces  of  terra-cotta,  which,  being  executed  in  vitrified  enamels, 
would  secure  them  an  endless  duration  ; of  this  he  made  an 


26 


MAIOLICA. 


experiment  on  a medallion,  which  is  above  the  tabernacle  of  the 
four  saints  on  the  exterior  of  Or  San  Michele,  on  the  plane  sur- 
face of  which  he  delineated  the  instruments  and  emblems  of  the 
builder’s  arts,  accompanied  with  beautiful  ornaments.  For  the 
bishop  of  Fiesole,  in  the  church  of  San  Brancazio,  he  also  made  a 
marble  tomb  on  which  are  the  recumbent  effigy  of  the  bishop  and 
three  other  half-length  figures  besides,  and  in  the  pilasters  of  that 
work  he  pamted^  on  the  flat,  certain  festoons  and  clusters  of  fruit 
and  foliage  so  skilfully  and  naturally,  that,  were  they  even  painted 
in  oil  on  panels  they  could  not  be  more  beautifully  or  forcibly 
rendered.’  We  have  here  a record  of  the  fact  that  Luca,  simul- 
taneously with  his  enamelled  terra-cotta  sculptures,  also  practised 
painting  in  the  same  vehicle  on  the  flat,  or,  in  other  v/ords,  the  art 
of  majolica  painting.  The  monumental  works  before  mentioned 
are  now  extant  to  attest  the  truth  of  this  account. 

“ From  a careful  and  repeated  study  of  the  above-named  works 
on  the  spot,  and  likewise  from  the  internal  evidence  of  the 
technical  qualities  of  the  vehicle,  terra-cotta,  enamel  pigments,  &c., 
the  writer  has  now  to  add  to  the  list  of  Luca’s  productions,  in 
this  especially  interesting  branch,  the  present  series  of  medallions, 
doubtless  united  originally  in  a grand  decorative  work.  Each 
roundel  is  a massive  disc  of  terra-cotta,  of  a single  piece,  evidently 
prepared  to  be  built  into  a wall  (or  vaulted  ceiling)  of  some  edifice. 
Round  the  margin  of  each  is  a decorated  moulding,  in  relief,  of  a 
characteristic  Della  Robbia  type.  The  surface  within  the  narrow 
border  is  flat  or  plane,  and  the  designs  are  painted  in  two  or 
three  grisaille  tints  on  a blue  ground,  of  the  usual  quiet  sober  tint 
affected  in  all  the  backgrounds  and  plane  surfaces  of  the  relievo 
subjects.  These  consist  of  single  figures  of  contadini  or  husband- 
men, impersonating  the  agricultural  operations  of  the  Florentine 
country,  characteristic  of  each  month  of  the  year ; and  although 
invested  with  a certain  artistic  charm  of  expression,  the  various 
figures,  each  of  which  exhibits  a different  individual  character, 
may  be  taken  as  life  portraits  of  the  sturdy  Tuscan  peasants  of 


MAJOLICA. 


27 


the  day.  A band  or  fascia  forming  an  inner  border  round  each 
subject,  is  ingeniously  and  fancifully  divided  into  two  unequal 
halves,  one  being  of  a lighter  tint  than  the  general  ground  of  the 
composition,  and  the  other  half  darker,  thus  indicating  the  night 
and  the  day ; the  mean  duration  of  each  for  every  month,  being 
accurately  computed,  set  off  on  the  band  accordingly,  and  noted 
in  written  characters  on  the  upper  or  daylight  part,  whilst  the 
name  of  the  month  is  written  in  large  capital  letters  at  the  bottom 
in  white,  on  the  dark  ground  of  the  nocturnal  portion.  The  sun 
pouring  down  a cone  of  yellow  rays,  accompanied  by  the  sign  of 
the  zodiac  proper  to  each  month,  is  also  seen  on  the  left  of  the 
upper  part  of  each  margin,  and  the  moon  on  the  lower  half 
opposite  to  him.”  The  author  gives  further  proof  that  these 
medallions  are  the  work  of  Luca  della  Robbia,  believing  the 
fact  to  be  as  certain  as  anything  not  absolutely  authenticated 
can  be. 

Luca  della  Robbia  was  born  about  the  year  1400,  and  his  name 
must  ever  be  associated  with  the  discovery  or  adaptation  on  a 
large  scale,  and  improvement  in  composition,  of  stanniferous 
enamel.  That  the  nature  of  this  enamel  is  different  from  what 
was  used  upon  other  pottery  of  the  time  may  be  seen  by  a com- 
parison of  the  two  surfaces.  The  greater  degree  of  opacity  and 
solidity  in  the  former  is  a marked  variation  from  that  in  general 
use  j so  with  the  surface  of  his  painted  tiles.  Perhaps  the  earlier 
productions  of  the  Caffaggiolo  furnaces  approach  the  nearest  to  it. 
There  is  no  piece,  seemingly,  of  the  production  of  a Florentine  or 
Tuscan  pottery  with  a date  before  1477,  and  this  example  would 
appear  to  be  tin-glazed.  With  that  exception,  the  first  pieces  sur- 
faced with  the  stanniferous  enamel  are  ascribed  to  the  Caffaggiolo 
pottery  and  are  dated  1507  and  1509,  some  seventy  years  subse- 
quent to  its  first  recorded  use  by  Luca  della  Robbia ; and  we 
have  no  specimens  which  can  with  any  probability  be  ascribed  to 
a i>eriod  within  a quarter  of  a century  of  its  habitual  application 
by  him.  We  cannot,  therefore,  find  the  slightest  evidence  to  dis- 


28 


MAIOLICA. 


prove  the  assertion  of  Vasari  and  others  that  Luca  was  the  dis- 
coverer, for  Italy,  of  this  important  improvement  in  the  glazing  of 
earthenware  vessels.  It  is  not,  however,  unreasonable  to  suppose 
that  its  composition  may  have  been  communicated  to  him  by  one 
of  the  Moorish  potters  from  Spain,  and  that,  acting  upon  this 
communication,  he  made  a series  of  experiments  resulting  in  the 
perfection  to  which  he  attained,  and  which  result  was  guarded  as 
a family  secret  by  two  succeeding  generations. 

A modification  of  this  composition,  perhaps  also  learnt  from 
Hispano-moorish  potters,  became  gradually  known  and  adopted 
at  various  fabriques,  spreading  throughout  the  potteries  of  Italy, 
France,  &c.  We  are  inclined  to  M.  Jacquemart’s  opinion  that  it 
first  came  into  use  at  Caffaggiolo,  the  fabrique  established  under 
the  influence  of  the  Medici  family,  but  cannot  consent  to  his 
suggestion  that  Luca  learnt  there  the  composition  of  the  enamel. 
We  agree  with  Mr.  Robinson  in  giving  the  precedence,  or  at  any 
rate  an  equality  in  point  of  age,  to  Faenza,  and  in  ascribing  to 
that  place  certain  figures  and  groups  in  alto-rilievo,  bearing  in- 
scriptions in  Gothic  letters,  the  modelling  and  design  of  which  are 
more  characteristic  of  the  north  of  the  Apennines  than  of  the 
Tuscan  valley. 

Andrea  della  Robbia,  to  whom  his  uncle’s  mantle  descended, 
also  painted  occasionally  on  plane  surfaces,  as  may  be  seen  on 
tiles  which  cover  the  flat  surface  of  a lav abo''  in  the  sacristy  of 
the  church  of  Sta.  Maria  Novella,  in  Florence.  We  would  merely 
further  note  the  fact  that  in  1520  the  art  was  in  decadence  under 
the  hand  of  Giovanni  the  son  of  Andrea,  Luca’s  nephew,  and  that 
during  the  first  quarter  of  that  century  various  imitators  produced 
inferior  works  in  the  same  style,  copying  the  models  of  the  Della 
Robbia  and  the  works  of  some  other  sculptors.  By  Giovanni’s 
brother  Girolamo  it  was  introduced  into  France,  where  the  chateau 
de  Madrid  was  decorated  by  him  under  the  patronage  of  Francis 
the  first. 

In  Italy,  Agostino  di  Antonio  di  Duccio,  said  to  be  a pupil  of 


MAJOLICA. 


29 


Luca,  worked  at  Perugia  in  1459-61,  where  he  executed  enamelled 
bas-reliefs  on  the  fagade  of  the  church  of  S.  Bernardino,  and  in 
S.  Domenico.  Pier  Paolo  di  Agapito  da  Sassoferrato  is  said  to 
have  erected  an  altar  in  this  manner  in  the  church  of  the  Cappu- 
cini  in  Arceria,  in  the  diocese  of  Sinigaglia,  in  the  year  1513.  He 
was  also  a painter.  An  able  modeller  as  well  as  artist  potter 
Maestro  Giorgio  Andreoli,  of  Gubbio,  also  appears  • to  have  exe- 
cuted works  in  the  manner  of  the  Della  Robbia.  The  practice  of 
enamelling  large  works  modelled  in  terra-cotta  would  seem  to 
have  gone  out  of  repute  before  the  end  of  the  first  half  of  the 
sixteenth  century ; not  perhaps  so  much  from  the  secret  of  the 
glaze  being  known  only,  as  we  are  told,  to  the  descendants  of  the 
Della  Robbia  family,  as  from  the  want  of  demand  for  works  in 
that  material. 

From  the  increased  use  of  decorative  tiles  and  the  encourage- 
ment afforded  to  the  production  of  artistic  pottery,  furnaces  and 
boteghe  had  been  established  in  various  parts  of  northern  and 
central  Italy,  particularly  in  Romagna,  in  Tuscany,  and  in  the 
lordship  of  Urbino,  where  the  manufacture  was  patronized  at  an 
early  time  by  the  ruling  family,  as  also  by  the  Sforza  at  Pesaro. 
Here  the  first  use  of  the  metallic  lustre  would  appear  to  have 
been  developed ; but  we  have  even  less  historical  evidence  of  the 
date  of  its  earliest  introduction  than  in  the  case  of  the  tin  enamel. 
Before  that  great  improvement  was  adopted  by  any  of  the  potteries 
in  Italy,  the  pearly,  the  golden,  and  the  ruby  lustre  colours  were 
produced  at  Pesaro,  and  perhaps  at  Gubbio  where  it  subse- 
quently attained  its  greatest  perfection.  Pesaro  being  a coast  town 
of  the  Adriatic,  and  one  where  furnaces  had  long  existed,  would 
form  a ready  asylum  for  oriental  workmen  fleeing  from  persecution 
in  their  own  country.  It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  from  them 
the  use  of  these  metallic  pigments  was  acquired,  and  accordingly 
we  find  early  pieces  presumably  of  this  fabrique,  the  decorative 
“ motif”  on  which  is  eastern  to  a marked  degree.  Painted  wares 
had  been  produced  anterior  to  the  use  of  the  metallic  pigments, 


30 


MAIOLICA, 


and  among  them  specimens  are  occasionally  found  betraying 
Persian  influence  in  their  design. 

The  outlines  on  the  ^^mezza  maiolica”  of  this  period  were 
traced  in  manganese  black  or  zaffre  blue,  with  which  last  the 
shadings  are  also  indicated  ; the  flesh  is  left  white.  A certain 
rigidity  but  truthfulness  is  observable  in  the  design,  crude  and 


wanting  in  relief,  but  precise  and  free  from  timidity.  A moresque 
border  frequently  surrounds  a coat-of-arms,  portrait  busts  in  profile 
of  contemporary  princes,  or  that  of  a saint  or  heathen  goddess ; 
or  the  sacred  monogram ; or,  again  (betrothal  gifts)  a heart  with 
joined  hands,  as  in  the  woodcut;  or  portraits  of  ladies  with  a 
ribbon  or  banderole,  on  which  the  name  is  inscribed  with  a com- 
plimentary adjective  as  ‘‘  bella,”  ‘‘  diva,”  and  the  like ; such  are 
the  principal  subjects  of  these  early  hacili. 

The  admirable  “ madreperla  ” lustre  of  these  pieces,  changing 


MAJOLICA. 


in  colour  and  effect  with  every  angle  at  which  the  light  is  reflected 
from  their  brilliant  surface,  is  the  leading  characteristic  and  special 
beauty  of  this  class  of  wares,  which  must  have  been  in  great  re- 
quest and  produced  in  considerable  quantity.  Pesaro  and  Diruta 
lay  claim  to  their  production,  and  each  fabrique  has  its  champions. 


We  are  inclined  to  ascribe  the  earlier  and  more  important  produc- 
tions to  Pesaro,  and  are  disposed  to  consider  the  Diruta  fabrique 
as  a subsequent  and  less  important  source  of  supply  in  respect  to 
the  quality  of  the  wares.  These  hacili  are  nearly  all  of  the  same 
size  and  form  ; large  heavy  dishes  of  flesh-coloured  clay  with  deep 
sunk  centres  and  a projecting  circular  ‘‘giretto”  behind,  forming 
a foot  or  base ; this  is  invariably  pierced  with  two  lateral  holes. 


32 


MAJOLICA, 


for  the  purpose  of  introducing  a cord  by  which  to  suspend  them 
to  the  wall,  thus  proving  that  they  were  looked  upon  more  as 
decorative  pieces  di poinpd)  than  for  general  use  upon  the 

table ; the  back  is  covered  by  a coarse  yellow  glaze,  the  front 
having  a surface  whitened  by  slip  and  painted  as  above-mentioned. 
The  rim  is  sometimes  ornamented  in  compartments  {a  quartm'i), 
or  with  chequered,  “ chevrone  ” or  imbricated  patterns,  or  con- 
ventional flowers.  Engraved  (p.  31)  is  a fine  plateau  of  early  date  : 
no.  4078  at  South  Kensington. 

The  larger  pieces  of  the  period  made  at  various  places  have  a 
certain  general  resemblance  in  the  clumsy  fashion,  the  dry  archaic 
style  of  drawing  executed  in  blue  outline,  and  in  the  diaper 
patterns  of  the  border.  Glazed  wares  of  polychrome  and  subject 
decoration  were  no  doubt  produced  before  the  introduction  of  the 
lustre  colours  and,  judging  from  examples  which  have  come  down 
to  us,  the  forms  seem  to  have  been  partially  derived  from  Persian, 
Hispano-moresque,  and  other  oriental  originals ; deep  dishes  with 
angular  sides  and  narrow  rims  ; others  with  a wide  border  or  side 
sloping  at  a gradual  angle  from  the  small  circular  centre.  The 
gothic  element  is,  however,  traceable  on  some  early  pieces  of 
north  Italian  origin. 

A more  careful  investigation  of  the  records  of  Italian  families, 
and  the  archives  of  the  many  towns  at  which  potteries  formerly 
existed,  might  throw  considerable  light  on  the  history  and  estab- 
lishment of  the  various  fabriques  and  the  marks  and  characteristics 
of  their  productions  ; but  at  present  we  can  only  form  an  approxi- 
mate opinion  by  comparison  of  the  examples  existing  in  collections 
with  signed  examples  by  the  same  hand.  We  agree  in  believing 
with  Passed  that  the  potteries  of  Pesaro  were  of  very  early  date, 
probably  anterior  to  Gubbio,  and  think  that  full  weight  should  be 
given  to  his  statement  that  the  use  of  the  lustre  pigments  was 
introduced  from  the  former  to  the  latter  fabrique,  where  it  attained 
to  unsurpassed  excellence  under  the  able  management  and  im- 
provement of  M°.  Giorgio  but  whether  the  furnaces  of  Faenza  and 


MAJOLICA. 


33 


Forli  were  of  earlier  or  subsequent  establishment  to  that  of  Pesaro 
is  still  a matter  of  conjecture,  and  of  Calfaggiolo  and  others  we 
have  no  record.  Of  the  antiquity  of  these  last  there  can  be  no 
doubt.  But  although  producing  at  the  latter  end  of  the  fifteenth 


and  early  in  the  sixteenth  centuries  some  of  the  most  exquisite 
examples  of  artistic  decoration  and  of  the  perfection  of  manufac- 
ture in  this  class  of  ceramics,  we  are  unable  to  find  a single  proof 
of  the  use  of  the  lustrous  metallic  tints,  or  a single  example  of 
pottery  so  enriched,  which  can  with  probability  be  ascribed  to 


D 


34 


MAJOLICA. 


the  Faenza  furnaces.  The  same  remark  applies  to  other  potteries 
on  the  northern  side  of  the  Apennines. 

The  Piedmontese  and  Lombard  cities  do  not  appear  to  have 
encouraged  the  potter’s  art  to  an  equal  extent  in  the  15th 
and  1 6th  centuries,  neither  can  we  learn  of  any  excellence  at- 
tained in  Venice  till  the  establishment  of  Durantine  and  Pesarese 
artists  at  that  city  in  the  middle  of  the  latter  period.  Possibly, 
the  fine  dish  (engraved  p.  33)  may  be  of  that  manufacture ; 
the  costumes  have  a Venetian  character.  Perhaps  commerce 
did  for  the  Queen  of  the  Adriatic  by  the  importation  of  Rhodian, 
Damascus,  and  other  eastern  wares,  what  native  industry  sup- 
plied to  the  pomp  and  luxury  of  the  hill  cities  of  Umbria;  for 
it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  finer  sorts  of  enamelled  or 
glazed  pottery,  decorated  by  artistic  hands,  were  only  attainable 
by  the  richer  class  of  purchasers ; more  modest  wares  or  wooden 
trenchers,  and  ancestral  copper  vessels,  contenting  the  middle 
class.  The  northern  duchies,  Ferrara,  Rimini,  and  Ravenna, 
also  encouraged  the  art,  but  to  a smaller  extent  than  that  of 
Urbino.  It  would  seem  that  the  use  of  the  white  stanniferous 
enamel  did  not  become  general  in  Italy  until  some  years  after 
the  death  of  Luca  della  Robbia,  in  1481 ; and  was  not  adopted 
by  the  potters  of  Umbria  before  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century. 


CHAPTER  IV, 


The  history  of  the  development,  perfection,  and  decline  of 
the  ceramic  art  of  the  renaissance  in  Italy  is  so  intimately  con- 
nected with  and  centred  round  that  of  the  dukedom  of  Urbino, 
that  in  tracing  its  progress  we  must  also  briefly  call  to  memory 
the  fortunes  and  the  failures  of  that  noble  house. 

In  1443  what  had  been  but  an  unimportant  mountain  fief 
was  erected  into  a duchy,  and  the  house  of  Montefeltro  ruled 
a fair  territory  in  the  person  of  the  infamous  Oddantonio,  the 
first  duke  of  Urbino,  On  his  violent  death  in  1444  Federigo, 
his  illegitimate  brother,  succeeded  to  the  dukedom.  Of  en- 
lightened mind,  as  well  as  of  martial  capacity,  he  developed 
the  native  capabilities  of  the  country  and  gathered  about  him 
at  the  court  of  Urbino  the  science  and  learning  of  the  period. 
He  built  a noble  castellated  palace  at  Urbino,  for  the  embellish- 
ment of  which  he  invited  the  leading  artists  of  the  day.  A 
patron  of  all  art,  and  a great  collector,  he  encouraged  the  manu- 
facture of  the  maiolica  wares  which  flourished  under  his  reign. 
On  his  death  in  1482  his  son  Guidobaldo  I.  continued  his 
father’s  patronage  to  the  ceramic  artists  of  the  duchy,  although 
much  occupied  in  the  Italian  wars  consequent  on  the  French 
invasion  by  Charles  VIII.  Passeri  states  that  fine  maiolica  (by 
which  he  means  that  covered  with  the  tin  enamel)  was  intro- 
duced into  Pesaro  in  1500;  and  there  is  some  reason  to  believe 
that  the  new  process  came  from  Tuscany.  It  differed  materially 
in  composition  and  manufacture  from  the  “mezza  majolica” 
wares  to  which  it  was  very  superior,  and  was  known  as  “ Por- 


D 2 


MAIOLICA. 


36 

cellana,”  a name  applied  at  that  period  in  Italy  to  the  choicer 
description  of  enamelled  earthenware.  Passeri  also  states  that 
in  the  inventory  of  the  ducal  palaces  a large  quantity  of  painted 
“majolica”  vases  were  included  under  this  name.  The  superior 
whiteness  of  the  enamel,  more  nearly  approaching  to  that  of 
oriental  porcelain,  was  probably  the  reason  for  its  adoption ; but 
we  must  not  confound  the  term  as  used  in  this  sense  with  its 
technical  meaning  in  reference  to  a decorative  design  known  as 
“ a porcellana.” 

The  introduction  of  the  new  enamel,  which  afforded  a better 
ground  for  painting,  did  not  cause  the  use  of  the  bright  metallic 
colours  and  prismatic  glaze  to  be  relinquished  at  those  potteries 
where  it  had  become  established,  but  it  appears  to  have  stimu- 
lated a development  in  the  artistic  productions  of  other  places, 
the  wares  of  which  before  that  period  were  less  attractive.  The 
botega  of  Maestro  Giorgio  at  Gubbio  seems  to  have  been  at 
this  time  the  great  centre  of  the  process  of  embellishment  with 
the  golden  and  ruby  metallic  lustres;  and,  indeed,  we  have 
little  or  no  knowledge  of  artistic  pottery  produced  at  that 
fabrique  which  is  not  so  enriched.  From  some  technicality 
in  the  process  of  the  manufacture,  some  local  advantage,  or 
some  secret  in  the  composition,  almost  a monopoly  of  its  use 
was  established  at  Gubbio,  for  we  have  the  evidence  of  well- 
known  examples  that  from  the  end  of  the  first  to  the  com- 
mencement  of  the  last  quarter  of  the  15th  century  many 
pieces  painted  by  the  artists  of  Pesaro,  Urbino,  and  Castel 
Durante,  were  sent  there  to  receive  the  additional  enrich- 
ment of  the  lustre  colours.  Pieces  may  be  seen  in  collec- 
tions signed  in  blue  by  the  artist  Francesco  Xanto  and  others 
which  have  been  subsequently  lustred  at  Gubbio,  and  again 
signed  in  the  metallic  pigment  by  the  “ maestro  ” of  that 
botega.  At  Diruta  also  its  use  appears  to  have  been  ex 

tensive  though  not  to  so  exclusive  a degree  nor  on  wares  of 
such  high  character  as  at  Gubbio,  neither  are  we  enabled  by 


MAJOLICA. 


37 


the  possession  of  examples  to  conclude  that  the  works  ot 
other  fabriques  were  sent  to  Dimta  for  the  additional  embel- 
lishment. 

The  crude  drawing  of  the  earlier  ware  improved  very  slowly ; 
in  1502  tiles  executed  for  the  palace  at  Pesaro  were  still  of  sorry 
design;  but  it  developed  by  the  introduction  of  half  tints,  the 
colouring  of  the  drapery,  and  in  the  composition  of  the  groups 
of  figures,  inspired  by  the  works  of  Timoteo  della  Vite  and 
other  artists  of  the  Umbrian  school.  At  Pesaro  the  art  appears 
to  have  attained  its  highest  perfection  at  the  botega  of  the  Lan- 
franco  family,  about  1540-45. 

The  establishment  of  the  ducal  Court  at  Urbino  naturally 
drew  more  favour  to  the  potteries  of  that  city,  and  of  its  near 
neighbour  Castel  Durante.  The  latter  of  these  appears  also  to 
have  been  a seat  of  this  industry  from  very  remote  times,  and 
not  only  to  have  furnished  large  quantities  of  glazed  earthenware 
but  also  artistic  works  of  the  highest  merit.  Castel  Durante 
not  only  produced  fine  wares  at  home  but  artists  of  great 
ability  emigrated  from  her,  establishing  themselves  at  various 
places.  Hence  originally  came  the  Fontana  family,  the  most 
important  producers  of  the  higher  class  of  decorative  pottery  at 
Urbino.  At  Venice  Francesco  Pieragnolo  in  1545,  accompanied 
by  his  father  Gian-Antonio  da  Pesaro,  formed  a botega ; but 
his  wares  are  not  among  the  earliest  dated  pieces  made  in  that 
city,  where  we  know  that  Ludovico  was  producing  admirable 
works  five  years  previously,  and  Jacomo  da  Pesaro  in  1542. 
A member  of  the  Fontana  family,  Camillo,  younger  brother 
of  the  celebrated  Orazio,  went  to  Florence,  and  another  M® 
Camillo  to  Ferrara  in  1567,  by  the  request  of  the  then  reign- 
ing duke,  Alfonso  II.;  in  1600  we  find  that  Maestro  Diomede 
Durante  had  a pottery  at  Rome,  producing  pieces  painted  by 
Gio.  Paulo  Savino,  in  the  style  of  the  Urbino  grotesques  on 
white  ground,  which  had  been  brought  to  such  perfection  by 
the  Fontana  family.  Another  artist  of  this  family,  Guido  di 


38 


MAJOLICA. 


Savin  o,  is  stated  to  have  previously  established  himself  at 
Antwerp. 

At  Urbino  and  Gubbio  the  shaped  pieces,  the  vases,  cisterns, 
&c.  were  of  large  size  admirably  modelled,  as,  for  instance,  the 
fine  vase  at  South  Kensington,  no.  515,  in  the  woodcut;  they 
were  also  richly  “ istoriata  ” with  subjects  from  sacred  and  pro- 


fane history,  poetry,  &c. : the  produce  of  the  celebrated  Fontana 
botega  being,  perhaps,  the  most  important  of  them.  Here  also 
worked  the  able  artist  Francesco  Xanto,  from  1530  to  1541 
(latterly  in  the  pottery  of  Francesco  Silvano),  so  many  of  whose 
painted  pieces  were  subsequently  decorated  with  ruby  and  gold 
lustre  at  Gubbio. 

From  1520  to  1540  the  art  constantly  advanced  in  this  duchy, 
and  had  retained  great  perfection  till  1560.  It  is  probable  that 
the  potteries  at  Gastel  Durante  were  of  earlier  foundation  than 
those  at  Urbino  and,  from  their  first  establishment  to  the  de- 


MAIOZICA.. 


39 


cadence  of  the  art  were  some  of  the  most  important  and  pro- 
ductive furnaces  of  the  duchy.  Here  several  boteghe  existed, 
one  of  which  was  under  the  direction  of  the  cavaliere  Cipriano 
Piccolpasso  who,  himself  an  artist  and  a professor  of  medicine, 
was  doubtless  well  advanced  in  the  chemical  knowledge  of  his 
day.  He  worked  about  1550,  and  has  left  the  important  and 
interesting  manuscript,  entitled  “ Li  tre  libri  dell’  arte  dell’ 
Vasajo,”  now  in  the  library  of  the  South  Kensington  museum. 
This  manuscript  was  printed  and  published  at  Rome  in  1857, 
and  a translation  in  French  at  Paris  in  1841,  both  editions  with 
engraved  copies  of  the  numerous  designs. 

Guidobaldo  I.  was  succeeded  in  the  dukedom  by  his  nephew 
Francesco  Maria  Della  Rovere,  in  1508,  who,  incurring  the 
resentment  of  pope  Leo  the  tenth,  was  obliged  to  retire  into 
Lombardy  but  was  reinstated  in  1517.  Rome  was  sacked  in 
1527,  and  history  accuses  Guidobaldo  of  having  permitted  the 
horrible  act  without  interfering  to  prevent  it.  He  died  from 
poison  in  1538  at  Pesaro,  whither  he  had  retired  after  a re- 
verseful life  and  reign.  His  duchess  was  the  excellent  Leonora 
Gonzaga.  She  built  a palace  near  Pesaro,  known  as  the 
“ Imperiale,”  richly  decorated  by  able  artists  among  whom  was 
Raftaelle  dal  Colle,  whose  designs  were  also  adopted  for  the 
maiolica  ware.  The  frequently  repeated  error  of  ascribing  the 
actual  painting,  as  also  the  making  designs  for  this  ware,  to  the 
great  Raffaelle  Sanzio  may  probably  have  arisen  from  the  simi- 
larity in  the  Christian  names  of  these  artists. 

The  development  of  the  manufacture  in  the  duchy  of  Urbino 
may  be  considered  to  have  attained  its  culminating  point  about 
1540,  after  which,  for  some  twenty  years,  it  continued  in  great 
excellence  not  only  as  regards  the  “ istoriati,”  but  more  particu- 
larly  in  the  shaped  pieces  and  dishes  (of  which  we  engrave  an 
example  p.  40)  decorated  with  the  so-called  “ Urbino  arabesques  ” 
on  a clear  white  ground ; the  subjects  painted  in  medallions, 
surrounded  by  grotesques  of  admirable  invention  and  execution, 


40 


MAJOLICA. 


after  the  style  known  as  “ Raffaellesque.”  But  excellent  and 
highly  decorative  as  are  the  finer  products  of  this  period  from  the 
furnaces  of  the  Fontana  of  Urbino,  or  of  the  Lanfranchi  of 


Pesaro,  they  want  to  the  eye  of  the  true  connoisseur  the  senti- 
ment and  expressive  drawing,  the  exquisite  finish  and  delicacy, 
the  rich  colour,  and  the  admirable  design  of  the  earlier  works 
produced  at  the  Casa  Pirota  in  Faenza,  at  Forli,  Castel  Durante, 
Siena,  and  Calfaggiolo,  in  the  latter  years  of  the  fifteenth  and  the 
first  quarter  of  the  sixteenth  centuries,  and  by  M®  Giorgio  at 


MAJOLICA. 


41 


Gubbio,  many  of  which  rival  in  beauty  the  exquisite  miniature 
illuminations  of  that  palmy  period  of  Italian  art.  The  service  in 
the  Correr  museum  in  Venice,  supposed  to  have  been  painted  by 
an  unknown  artist  of  Faenza  and  dated  1482,  is  of  high  quality; 


and  we  possess  at  South  Kensington  works  by  his  hand,  particu- 
larly a plaque  or  tile  (No.  69)  on  which  is  a representation  oi 
the  Resurrection  of  our  Lord,  worthy  of  being  ranked  with  the 
highest  productions  of  pictorial  art.  The  borders  of  grotesques 
on  the  plates  of  this  earlier  period  differ  greatly  from  those  of  the 
Urbino  factories  of  the  middle  time,  being  generally  grounded  on 
dark  blue  or  yellow,  and  executed  with  great  delicacy  of  touch 


42 


MAJOLICA, 


and  power  of  colouring;  the  centres  of  the  smaller  pieces  are 
usually  occupied  by  single  figures,  small  medallion  subjects, 
portrait  heads,  amorini,  shields-of-arms,  &c. ; frequently  they 
were  intended  for  “amatorii”  or  love  tokens.  Some  of  the 
most  careful  and  highly  finished  productions  of  Giorgio 

are  of  this  early  time,  before  he  was  in  the  habit  of  signing  with 
the  well-known  initials  ; the  earliest  so  signed  being  the 

admirable  St.  Francis  tazza  at  South  Kensington,  dated  1517. 

We  may  therefore  affirm  that  the  choicest  works  in  Italian 
pottery  were  produced  during  a period  which  extended  from  1480 
to  1520  or  1530;  thence  till  1560  was  its  meridian,  although 
some  fine  works  were  produced  at  Urbino  by  the  Fontana  till 
1570  ; before  that  time  the  ruby  lustre  had  been  lost,  and  soon 
after  a rapid  decline  of  design  and  execution  reduces  all  to  painful 
inferiority.  The  woodcut  (p.  41)  is  from  a splendid  dish,  dated 
1533?  174S,  at  South  Kensington. 

Guidobaldo  II.,  who  had  succeeded  to  Francesco  Maria  in 
1538,  wanted  the  force  of  character  and  nice  appreciation  of 
the  higher  literature  and  art  which  had  distinguished  his  father ; 
but  he  was  a great  patron  of  the  ceramic  productions  of  his 
duchy,  and  sought  to  improve  the  designs  used  by  painters  on 
pottery  by  the  introduction  of  subjects  of  higher  character  and 
composition.  With  this  view,  lavish  of  expense,  he  bought 
original  drawings  by  Rafiaelle  and  the  engravings  of  Marc 
Antonio  from  that  master’s  designs.  He  also  made  presents  of 
services  to  contemporary  princes  and  friends.  One,  given  to  the 
emperor  Charles  V.,  a double  service,  is  mentioned  by  Vasari,  the 
vases  of  which  had  been  painted  from  the  designs  of  Battista 
Franco,  a Venetian,  whom  he  had  invited  to  Urbino.  Another 
service  of  which  pieces  are  extant  was  given  by  the  duke  to 
Andrea  da  Volterra,  his  confessor.  For  the  Spezieria  or  medical 
dispensary,  attached  to  his  own  palace,  he  ordered  a complete  set 
of  vases  and  drug  pots;  designs  were  prepared  for  these  by 
B.  Franco  and  Raffaelle  dal  Colle  and  executed  at  the  botega  of 


MAJOLICA. 


43 


Orazio  Fontana,  by  whom  some  of  the  pieces  were  painted. 
They  were  subsequently  presented  by  duke  Francesco  Maria  II. 
to  the  Santa  Casa  at  Loreto,  where  the  greater  part  of  them  are 
still  preserved.  Some  of  them  were  engraved  by  Bartoli.  The 
story  tells  us  that  so  highly  were  they  esteemed  by  Christina  of 
Sweden  that  she  offered  to  buy  them  for  their  weight  of  gold, 
after  a grand  duke  of  Florence  had  more  prudently  proposed  an 
equal  number  of  silver  vessels  of  like  weight. 

Orazio  Fontana,  the  great  artist  potter  and  painter  of  Urbino, 
worked  for  the  duke  from  1540  to  1560  and  carried  the  art  to 
the  highest  perfection.  Passeri  states  that  Orazio  had  no  equal 
in  the  execution  of  his  paintings,  the  distribution  of  his  colours, 
and  in  the  calculation  of  the  effect  of  the  fire  upon  them  in  the 
production  of  his  wares.  He  also  quotes  various  contemporary 
authors  who  speak  of  the  excellence  of  the  maiolica  of  this  period. 
After  the  death  of  Orazio  Fontana  and  Battista  Franco  works  of 
an  inferior  class  only  were  produced  from  the  designs  of  the 
Flemish  engravers.  From  1580  the  decline  of  the  art  was  rapid. 
It  met  but  small  encouragement  from  duke  Francesco  Maria  II., 
who  succeeded  in  1574,  except  during  his  residence  at  Castel 
Durante  where  it  still,  though  feebly,  survived.  He  abdicated  in 
favour  of  the  Holy  See,  and  died  in  1631.  The  rich  collections 
of  art  then  remaining  at  Urbino  became  the  property  of 
Ferdinand  de’  Medici,  who  had  married  the  duke’s  granddaughter, 
and  were  removed  to  Florence. 

Artistic  manufactories  had,  in  addition  to  those  of  the  Umbrian 
duchy,  greatly  increased  in  various  parts  of  Italy  under  the 
encouragement  of  powerful  local  families ; but  none  appear  to 
have  attained  to  higher  excellence  than  those  of  Tuscany.  At 
Caffaggiolo  under  the  powerful  patronage  of  the  Medici,  and  at 
Siena,  some  of  the  most  excellent  pieces  of  this  beautiful  pottery 
were  produced,  rivalling  but  not  surpassing  the  fine  examples  of 
Faenza. 

The  Tuscan  pieces  are  remarkable  for  their  rich  enamel,  for 


44 


MAJOLICA. 


the  force  and  brilliancy  of  the  colours,  and  for  the  execution  and 
design  of  the  grotesque  borders  and  other  decoration ; a deep 
rich  blue,  a peculiar  opaque  but  bright  red,  and  a brilliant  yellow, 
are  characteristic  pigments.  The  existence  of  the  former  fabrique 
has  been  made  known  to  us  only  by  the  inscription  of  the  name 
on  some  few  pieces  preserved  in  cabinets.  From  their  style  and 
the  mark  accompanying  the  inscription  we  are  enabled  to  detect 
many  examples,  some  of  which  bear  concurrent  testimony  in  the 
subjects  connected  with  the  history  of  the  Medici  family  with 


which  they  are  painted.  The  well-known  plate  (in  the  woodcut) 
on  which  a painter  is  represented  engaged  in  executing  the 
portraits  of  a noble  personage  and  his  lady,  who  are  seated  near, 


iVAIOLICA, 


45 


and  which  were  supposed  to  be  intended  for  Raffaelle  and  the 
Fornarina,  is  a fine  specimen  of  the  work  of  perhaps  the  most 
able  artist  engaged  at  this  pottery.  This  beautiful  example  is 
now  in  the  South  Kensington  museum,  acquired  from  the  Bernal 
collection. 

At  Siena  also  admirable  works  were  produced  but  we  are 
disposed  to  think  that  their  inspiration  was  derived  from  Calfag- 
giolo,  whence  also  her  potters  probably  received  instruction  in 
the  application  of  the  stanniferous  enamel.  Some  pieces  of  the 
latter  end  of  the  fifteenth  century  are  with  probability  ascribed  to 
Siena,  and  dated  pieces  as  early  as  1501.  Tiles  also  from  the 
same  fabrique  are  remarkable  for  the  excellence  of  their  grotesque 
borders  on  an  orange  yellow  ground,  having  centres  painted  with 
great  delicacy  : some  unusual  examples  having  a black  ground  to 
their  decorative  borders. 

Rome  and  the  south  of  Italy  do  not  appear  to  have  produced 
meritorious  works  in  this  field,  during  the  period  of  its  greatest 
excellence  in  the  northern  and  Tuscan  states ; and  it  is  not  till 
the  dispersion  of  the  artists,  consequent  upon  the  absorption  of 
the  Umbrian  duchy  into  the  Pontifical  states,  that  we  find  a 
Durantine  establishing  a pottery  at  Rome,  and  producing  in  1600 
an  inferior  repetition  of  the  grotesque  style  so  admirable  in  the 
hands  of  the  Fontana,  half  a century  earlier  at  Urbino.  The 
decadence  was  rapid ; an  increased  number  of  inferior  potteries 
produced  wares  of  a lower  price  and  quality ; the  fall  of  tlie 
ducal  houses  which  had  so  greatly  encouraged  its  higher  excel- 
lence as  a branch  of  fine  art,  together  with  the  general  deteriora- 
tion in  artistic  taste,  alike  tended  to  its  end. 


CHAPTER  V. 


A REVIVAL  in  the  production  of  native  decorative  earthenware 
took  place  in  various  parts  of  Italy,  as  also  in  the  rest  of  Europe. 
The  efforts  made  to  imitate  true  porcelain  were  reflected  by  im- 
provements in  the  quality  and  decoration  of  enamelled  earthen- 
ware, and  in  the  last  century  we  find  potteries  in  various  parts  of 
Piedmont  and  Lombardy,  Venice,  Genoa  and  Savona,  Urbino  and 
Pesaro,  Siena,  Castelli,  Florence  and  Rome,  producing  wares  of 
greater  or  less  artistic  excellence.  But  although  careful  drawing 
is  occasionally  found,  as  on  some  of  the  pieces  painted  by  Fer- 
dinando  Maria  Campana  at  Siena,  from  the  prints  of  Marc 
Antonio,  and  some  charming  designs  with  borders  of  amorini 
among  foliage,  and  subject  pieces  of  great  merit  from  the  Castelli 
fabrique  ; and  although  the  technique  ” of  the  manufacture  is 
also  of  great  excellence ; the  ornamentation  wants  that  masculine 
power  of  colouring  and  vigour  of  the  renaissance,  so  strikingly 
apparent  upon  the  better  productions  of  the  older  furnaces,  and 
the  admirable  delicacy  and  richness  of  effect  to  be  seen  upon  the 
earlier  works. 

The  endeavours  made  throughout  Europe  to  discover  a method 
of  making  porcelain,  similar  in  its  qualities  or  approaching  to  that 
imported  from  China,  had  begun  in  the  sixteenth  century.  In 
this  direction  also  royal  encouragement  was  of  the  greatest  value, 
and  we  find  that  first  in  the  field  of  discovery  was,  as  naturally 
might  be  expected,  that  country  in  which  the  enamelled  earthen- 
ware had  previously  reached  its  highest  perfection.  Under  the 
patronage  of  the  Grand  Duke  Francis  I.  about  1580,  experiments 


MAJOLICA. 


47 


were  made  which  at  length  resulted  in  the  production  of  an 
artificial  porcelain  of  close  body  and  even  glaze.  The  existence  of 
such  a production  and  the  history  of  its  origin  have  been  revealed 
to  us  only  within  the  last  few  years,  and  we  are  indebted  to  Dr. 
Foresi  of  Florence  for  having  made  this  discovery,  so  interesting 
in  the  history  of  the  ceramic  arts.  He  had  noticed  and  collected 
some  pieces  of  a porcelain  of  heavy  nature  and  indifferent  whiteness, 
decorated  in  blue  with  flower  and  leafage  pattern  of  somewhat 
oriental  style  but  at  the  same  time  unmistakably  European,  on 
some  of  which  a mark  occurs  consisting  of  the  capital  letter  F, 
surmounted  by  a dome.  The  earliest  recorded  European  porcelain 
had  heretofore  been  that  produced  by  Dr.  Dwight,  at  Fulham,  in 
1671,  and  at  St.  Cloud  in  France,  about  1695,  t>ut  the  specimens 
found  by  Dr.  Foresi  were  manifestly  not  attributable  to  either  of 
these  or  any  other  known  sources.  Further  researches  brought 
to  light  a piece  of  the  same  ware  on  which  the  pellets  of  the 
Medici  coat  were  substituted  for  the  more  useful  mark,  and  led  to 
a search  among  the  records  of  that  house.  Dr.  Foresi  was 
rewarded  for  his  trouble  by  the  discovery  that  the  above-named 
duke  had  actually  caused  experiments  to  be  made,  and  had  estab- 
lished a private  fabrique  in  connection  with  his  laboratory  in  the 
Boboli  gardens.  The  Magliabecchian  library  yielded  an  important 
manuscript  compilation  by  some  person  employed  by  the  duke, 
giving  the  nature  of  the  composition  and  details  of  the  production 
of  this  ware.  The  marks  on  the  pieces  explained  the  rest.  The 
Medici  arms  and  the  initials  F.M.M.E.D.I.I.,  reading 
“ Franciscus  Medici  Magnus  Etrurias  Dux  Secundus,’’  on  one  im- 
portant piece  now  in  the  collection  of  the  baron  Gustave  de  Roth- 
schild of  Paris,  clearly  attached  it  to  his  reign,  while  the  letter  F, 
the  initial  of  the  city,  and  the  dome  of  her  cathedral  of  which  she 
was  so  proud,  equally  pointed  to  the  place  of  its  production. 

Another  exceptionally  fine  and  interesting  piece  has  recently 
been  acquired  in  Italy  by  signor  Alessandro  Castellani.  It  is  a 
shallow  basin  in  the  centre  of  which  the  figure  of  St.  Mark,  with 


48 


MA/OZICA. 


the  lion,  is  painted  in  the  usual  blue  pigment,  and  in  a manner 
which  stamps  it  as  the  work  of  a master’s  pencil.  What  makes 
this  specimen  particularly  interesting  is  the  existence  of  a 
monogram  composed  of  the  letters  G.  and  P.  which  is  painted 
on  the  volume  held  beneath  the  lion’s  paw,  while  on  the  reverse 


of  the  piece  the  usual  mark  occurs,  as  given  in  the  accompanying 
facsimile.  It  has  been  suggested  that  this  monogram  may  be  that 
of  Raffaelle’s  great  pupil,  Giulio  Pippi  detto  Romano,  and  that,  as 
it  has  been  stated  that  he  occasionally  painted  upon  enamelled 
earthenware,  this  piece  may  be  considered  as  his  work.  That  the 
design  was  from  the  hand  of  that  master  is  probable,  and  that  its 
execution  was  by  able  ceramic  painters  is  equally  so  : but  Giulio 
Romano  died  in  1546,  whereas  the  Medici  porcelain  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  perfected  before  1580. 

This  Florentine  porcelain  is  especially  rare ; scarcely  thirty 
examples  being  known  to  exist.  Three  of  these  are  at  South 


MAJOLICA. 


49 


Kensington,  and  one  is  in  the  possession  of  the  present  writer. 
It  is  of  value  to  our  subject,  not  merely  as  an  important  episode 
in  the  narrative  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  ceramic  industry  in 
Italy  but  from  its  exceptional  nature,  as  one  at  least  of  the 
specimens  was  decorated  by  an  artist  whose  handiwork  is  to  be 
recognised  upon  pieces  of  the  Urbino  enamelled  earthenware. 
The  hne  ‘‘ Brocca  ” 15  inches  high,  belonging  to  the  baron 
Gustave  Rothschild,  is  surmounted  by  an  elegantly  formed 
handle  springing  from  grotesque  winged  masks,  modelled  in 
relief.  The  body  is  decorated  with  two  belts  of  grotesques, 
divided  by  a narrower  one,  on  which  are  masks  and  scroll  orna- 
ments; beneath  these  is  a band  divided  into  arched  panels  or 
compartments,  in  each  of  which  is  a flower  in  somewhat  Persian 
taste.  These  grotesques  are  executed  with  great  freedom  and 
force  and  at  the  same  time  with  a careful  finish  and  delicacy,  and 
in  the  manner  of  an  unknown  painter  who  worked  at  the  botega 
of  Camillo  Fontana. 

It  remains  to  us  only  to  notice  the  productions  of  the  present 
day,  many  of  the  more  meritorious  of  which  are  only  imitations 
(in  some  instances,  we  regret  to  say,  produced  for  fraudulent  pur- 
poses) of  the  more  excellent  works  of  an  original  period  of  art ; 
and  to  give  some  account  of  the  mode  of  manufacture,  the  forms 
and  uses  of  the  pieces,  and  the  manner  of  their  decoration. 

The  first  successful  attempt  at  re-producing  the  Italian  enamelled 
pottery  of  the  renaissance  from  original  models  was,  we  believe, 
made  at  Doccia  (the  manufactory  belonging  to  the  Marquis  Ginori) 
near  Florence.  The  greater  number  of  these  pieces  were  ordered 
by  an  unprincipled  dealer  of  that  city  who  supplied  the  models, 
and  by  whom  and  his  agents  they  were  more  or  less  scratched, 
chipped  and  otherwise  “ doctored  ” to  look  old,  and  so  imposed 
upon  unwary  purchasers  at  high  prices.  The  writer  recollects 
some  of  these  specimens  which  were,  years  since,  offered  to  him 
at  Leghorn  by  an  English  tradesman  of  position  (himself  possibly 
deceived),  to  which  a family  history  had  been  attached,  their 


MAJOLICA. 


50 

reputed  owner  (it  was  said)  being  under  the  necessity  of  parting 
with  them.  Since  that  period  the  productions  of  Doccia  have 
improved,  the  lustre  pigment  has  been  re-produced,  and  these 
revivals  have  been  justly  admired  at  various  international  exhibi- 
tions of  art  and  industry  as  legitimate  works  of  the  manufactory. 

Btit  a still  better  imitation  of  the  metallic  lustre  of  Gubbio  has 
been  produced  by  an  artist  of  that  city;  and  at  Siena  some 
excellent  copies  of  tiles  and  other  pieces  have  been  made  ; so  also 
at  Faenza.  Bologna,  too,  has  made  copies  of  the  rilievos  of  Della 
Robbia  which,  like  those  produced  at  Doccia,  may  be  purchased 
new  of  the  makers,  or  found,  scratched  and  dirty,  in  various 
curiosity  shops  throughout  Europe,  ready  to  pass  for  old,  some  of 
the  worst  being  occasionally  signed  as  by  Luca  to  enhance  their 
interest.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  a few  of  these  forgeries,  as  well 
as  admirably  executed  terra-cottas,  have  found  their  way  into 
public  museums  under  a false  passport. 

At  Naples  reproductions  of  the  wares  of  Castelli  are  well 
executed. 

In  France  the  excellent  reproductions  of  Persian  and  Rhodian 
wares  by  Deck,  and  some  good  imitations  of  the  Italian  enamelled 
and  lustred  pottery  by  various  artists  ; and  in  England  the  pieces 
produced  by  Minton,  Wedgwood,  and  other  manufacturers,  have 
led  to  modifications  and  adaptations,  resulting  in  an  important 
development  of  this  branch  of  artistic  pottery. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


We  are  fortunate  in  possessing  a manual  of  the  Italian  potters’ 
art  of  the  sixteenth  century,  in  the  manuscript  by  the  Cavaliere 
Cipriano  Piccolpassi  Durantino,”  as  he  signs  his  name  on  the 
title  page  of  his  work.  Nearly  all  the  information  on  this  branch 
of  the  subject,  conveyed  to  us  by  Passeri  and  subsequently  by 
Sig.  Giuseppe  Raffaelli  and  other  writers,  has  been  gathered  from 
that  manuscript  written  in  1548.  We  think  we  cannot  do  better 
than  go  at  once  to  this  fountain  head,  and  epitomize  the  informa- 
tion it  conveys,  upon  the  manner  and  materials,  upon  the  forms 
and  decoration,  of  maiolica. 

After  a “prologo”  in  which  the  author  defends  himself  from 
the  invidious  remarks  of  others,  he  tells  us  how  the  earth  or  clay 
brought  down  by  the  river  Metaiiro  was  gathered  from  its  bed 
during  the  summer  when  the  stream  was  low,  and  by  some  was 
made  into  large  balls,  which  were  stowed  in  holes  (ferrai)  pur- 
posely dug  in  the  ground ; by  others  it  was  previously  dried  in  the 
sun  ; here  it  remained  to  mellow  and  purge  itself  from  impurities, 
which  otherwise  would  be  injurious.  This  same  method  of 
gathering  the  material  for  the  foundation  of  the  wares  was  adopted 
at  many  other  places.  At  Venice  the  earth  of  Ravenna  and 
Rimini  is  worked,  although  they  frequently  use  that  dug  at 
Battaglia,  near  Padua,  but  for  the  better  sort  that  of  Pesaro. 

Our  author  enters  into  further  details  of  the  method  of  gather- 
ing the  potters’  clay  where  there  are  no  rivers,  by  digging  a 
succession  of  square  pits  connected  by  a channel  in  the  depres- 


E 2 


52 


MAIOLICA, 


sions  between  hills,  into  which  the  earth,  washed  by  showers  of 
rain,  is  refined  in  its  passage  from  pit  to  pit.  For  inferior  wares 
the  earth  is  then  collected  on  a table  and  well  beaten  with  an 
iron  instrument,  weighing  twelve  pounds,  three  or  four  times, 
being  kneaded  with  the  fingers  as  a woman  would  in  making 
bread,  and  all  impurities  carefully  removed.  Afterwards  it  is  formed 
into  masses,  from  which  a piece  is  taken  to  work  upon  the  wheel 
or  press  into  moulds.  If  the  earth  is  too  “ morbida  ” it  is  placed 
upon  the  wall  or  house  top,  on  sieves,  through  which  it  is  washed 
by  the  rain,  and  gathered  in  old  broken  vases,  &c.,  placed 
beneath. 

For  making  wares  “ all’ urbinate  ” (meaning  probably  with  a 
white  ground)  the  dug  clay  ought  to  be  white,  for  if  of  a blue  colour 
it  will  not  take  the  tin  glaze ; this,  however,  is  not  objectionable 
if  it  is  to  be  covered  with  a slip  of  “ terra  di  Vicenza  ” (a  white 
clay),  a method  which  he  terms  “ alia  castellana.”  But  it  is  the 
reverse  with  the  clay  gathered  from  the  beds  of  rivers,  the  blue  in 
this  case  being  of  the  better  quality. 

It  is  difficult  for  us  now  accurately  to  apply  the  names  which 
he  gives  to  the  variously  shaped  pieces,  and  the  more  so, -as  we 
are  informed  that  in  our  author’s  time  various  names  were 
attached  by  different  artists  and  at  different  potteries  to  the  same 
form.  Thus  the  “ Vaso  a pera”  was  also  known  as  “ Vaso  da 
due  maniche  ” and  “ Vaso  Dorico ; ” and  the  body  of  such  a vase 
was  by  some  made  in  one  piece,  by  others  in  two  or  three,  making 
joints  at  the  lower  part  and  at  the  insertion  of  the  neck,  and 
uniting  them  by  means  of  lute  {barbatina).  Vases  and  jugs  with 
pyriform  bodies,  moulded  handles,  and  shaped  spouts,  or  lips, 
were  known  as  “ a bronzo  antico  ” (fig.  i),  their  forms,  doubtless, 
being  derived  from  the  antique  bronze  vessels  discovered  in 
excavations. 

Some  of  these  pieces  have  a stopper  fitting  into  the  neck  by  a 
screw,  the  worm  of  which  is  worked  upon  it  by  means  of  a piece 
of  wood  (stecca)  formed  with  projecting  teeth,  the  interior  of  the 


MAJOLICA, 


53 


neck  being  furnished  with  a corresponding  sunken  worm.  The 
details  of  all  these  methods  are  illustrated  on  the  third  table  of 


his  atlas  of  plates.  After  telling  us  that  the  albarello  (fig.  2),  or 
drug  pot,  universally  known  under  that  name,  is  made  of  different 
sizes  and  always  of  one  piece,  our  author  describes  the  manner  ot 


forming  the  Vaso  senza  bocca  (fig.  3),  a sort  of  puzzle  jug  with 
hermetically  fixed  cover  on  the  top  and  an  opening  beneath  the 
foot,  from  which  an  inverted  funnel  rises  inside  the  body  of  the 
vase.  To  fill  it,  the  piece  must  be  turned  upside  down  and  the 
liquid  poured  into  the  funnel  below,  and  may  be  again  poured  out 


54 


MAJOLICA, 


at  the  spout  when  required,  in  the  ordinary  way,  the  vase  having 
been  placed  upright. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  give  a list  of  different  forms,  but  we 
may  follow  our  author  in  his  description  of  that  set  of  five,  or 
sometimes  nine  separate  pieces,  which,  fitting  together,  form  a 
single  vase  (fig.  4).  These  sets,  known  as  scudella  da  donna 
di  parto  ” or  “ vasi  puerperal!, ” were  niade  for  the  use  of  ladies  in 
their  confinements,  and  consist  of  the  following  pieces  : — (i.)  The 
broth  basin  or  Scodella,  on  raised  foot.  Over  this  fits  the  lid  (2), 
which  also  does  duty  as  a plate  {Tagliei'e)  for  the  roll  or  slice  of 
bread ; inverted  over  this  is  the  drinking  cup.  (3),  Ongaresca^ 
upon  the  foot  of  which  fits  the  salt  cellar,  Saliera  (4),  surmounted 
by  its  cover  (5).  The  particulars  of  the  arrangement  of  the  nine 
pieces  are  not  given.  Single  portions  of  these  are  to  be  found  in 
collections,  but  the  present  writer  is  not  aware  of  any  one  com- 
plete set  having  been  preserved. 

Using  either  the  mugiuolo  or  the  scudella^  the  mass  of  clay  placed 
upon  the  disk  is  revolved  by  the  wheel  and  fashioned  into  form 
with  the  hands,  assisted  by  variously  shaped  pieces  of  flat  wood 
(stecche)  and  moulding  tools  of  iron  {serri)  all  of  which  are  figured 
in  Piccolpasso’s  designs. 

The  forms  of  the  seggers,  case  (that  is,  cases  made  of  fire-clay 
and  pierced  with  holes,  in  which  the  finer  wares  are  baked,  being 
thus  protected  from  dirt  or  accident  in  the  furnace),  and  the 
composition  of  the  clay  of  which  they  were  made,  as  also  of  the 
tagli^  punte^  S7narelle^  pironi^  &c.  variously  formed  tripods  and 
supports  for  holding  the  pieces  to  be  fired,  are  given  us  in  detail. 
The  clay  consists  of  a mixture  of  the  red  earth  used  for  coarser 
wares  and  the  white,  which  is  reserved  for  vases  and  finer 
pieces. 

Shaped  pieces  with  ornaments  in  relief,  ^masks,  spouts,  handles, 
&c.  are  formed  in  moulds  made  of  plaster  of  Paris  {gesso)  upon 
the  original  models.  The  mould  being  ready,  the  potter’s  clay  is 
formed  into  a cheese-shaped  mass  of  a diameter  suitable  to  the 


MAJOLICA. 


5S 


size  of  the  mould  ; from  this  slices  are  cut  by  means  of  a wire 
worked  over  two  pieces  of  wood  of  the  thickness  of  the  required 
slice,  and  placed  at  either  side  of  the  cheese  of  clay.  A slice  of 
even  thickness  being  thus  obtained  it  is  pressed  by  the  hand  into 
the  hollows  of  the  mould;  that  for  the  other  side  of  the  piece  is 
then  steadily  pressed  over  the  clay  which  occupies  the  correspond- 
ing mould,  and  the  excess  exuding  from  the  edge  between  is 
neatly  cut  away.  The  foot  would  be  similarly  formed  in  another 
mould,  and  subsequently  attached  to  the  bowl  by  means  of  lute 
{barbatina).  This  lute  is  made  of  the  finer  quality  of  clay,  much 
worked  and  allowed  to  dry,  then  mixed  with  a certain  quantity  of 
the  shearings  of  fine  woollen  cloth,  kneaded  with  water  and  diluted 
to  the  consistence  of  thick  cream. 

To  make  shaped  vases  or  ewers  {bronzi  antiche)  a mould  is 
formed  to  each  side  of  the  piece,  uniting  longitudinally  at  the 
handle  and  spout ; the  clay  pressed  into  each  of  these  is  neatly 
cut  from  the  edge  by  means  of  the  archetto^  a wire  strained  across 
a forked  stick,  and  joined  to  the  corresponding  side  with  barba- 
tina by  which  also  the  handle,  formed  in  another  mould,  is 
attached  to  the  piece,  the  inside  being  smoothed  at  the  joint  by 
means  of  a knobbed  stick  {bastone).  The  pieces  known  as 

abborchiati,”  such  as  salt-cellars  with  ornaments  in  rilievo,  are 
made  in  the  same  manner,  as  are  also  the  “ smartellati  ” or  tazze, 
&c.  formed  after  the  manner  of  pieces  in  beaten  metal  {repousse) 
with  bosses  and  radiating  compartments  in  relief.  The  basket- 
like pieces  {canestrella)  were  similarly  moulded. 

In  his  second  book  Piccolpasso  gives  the  receipts  and  methods 
of  preparing  the  glaze  and  colours,  commencing  with  the  marza- 
cotto,”  the  silicate  of  potass  or  glass,  which  is  the  foundation 
of  all  glaze.  We  are  then  told  the  manner  of  constructing  a 
reverberatory  furnace  in  which  the  tin  and  lead  can  be  oxydized, 
and  which  is  built  of  brick  with  an  earth  called  ‘‘  sciabione,^’ 
probably  a sort  of  fire-clay.  It  consists  of  an  elongated  square 
structure  divided  longitudinally  into  two  compartments,  in  one  of 


56 


MAIOLICA, 


which  is  placed  the  fire,  while  the  other  is  occupied,  on  a higher 
level,  by  a shallow  tray  or  trough  made  of  tiifo^  a volcanic  stone, 
or  of  brickwork,  to  contain  the  metals,  upon  and  over  which  the 
flame  of  the  burning  wood  is  made  to  play  in  its  passage  to  the 
draft  hole  at  the  end. 

The  construction  of  other  furnaces  is  his  next  subject.  They 
were  built  of  brick  and  of  an  elongated  quadrilateral  plan, 
divided  into  two  stories  by  an  arched  floor,  pierced  to  allow  of  a 
free  circulation  to  the  heat ; the  upper  chamber,  which  is  higher 
than  the  lower,  is  furnished  with  four  small  openings  on  the  upper 
part  of  either  side  {vedette)  and  nine  similar  ones  in  the  vaulted 
roof;  the  lower  chamber  has  a well  or  depression  sunk  about 
one  foot  beneath  the  surface  to  receive  the  ashes  from  the  fire, 
and  both  it  and  the  upper  one  have  an  arched  opening  or  feeding 
door  {poccd)  at  one  end.  The  dimensions  usual  at  Castel  Durante 
were  six  feet  long  by  five  wide,  and  six  high,  but  in  Venice  they 
were  larger,  for,  says  Piccolpasso,  “ I have  seen  one  at  the  house 
of  M°  Francesco  di  Pier  ten  feet  wide  by  twelve  long,  outside, 
having  three  openings  to  feed  the  fire.” 

In  the  upper  chamber  the  wares  are  placed  for  baking,  the  finer 
sorts  being  enclosed  in  the  seggers  {case)  piled  one  above  another, 
and  the  coarser  arranged  between,  supported  by  pieces  of  tile, 
&c.  and  so  packed  as  to  fill  the  chamber  as  much  as  possible 
without  impeding  the  free  current  of  the  fire.  This  is  the  first 
baking,  and  at  the  same  time  the  pigments,  prepared  as  previously 
described,  are  submitted  to  the  action  of  the  fire  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  furnace.  The  opening  to  the  upper  chamber  is  then 
roughly  bricked  and  luted  up,  leaving  only  a small  orifice 
{bocchetta)  in  the  upper  part.  The  small  lateral  openings  {vedette) 
are  also  closed,  and  those  in  the  roof  loosely  covered  with  pieces 
of  tile.  The  vases  containing  the  mixture  of  sand  and  feccia  for 
making  the  marzacotto  are  then  placed  upon  each  other  under  the 
furnace  at  the  further  end  (probably  in  the  lower  or  fire  cham- 
ber). All  being  prepared,  and  invoking  the  name  of  God,  uso 


MAJOLICA. 


57 


Christiano,”  with  the  sign  of  the  cross,  take  a handful  of  straw 
and  light  the  fire  made  of  well-dried  wood  placed  in  the  lower 
chamber,  and  which  must  be  gradually  increased  for  four  hours, 
taking  care  that  it  is  never  pushed  too  much,  lest  the  pieces  run 
or  become  too  hard  to  receive  the  glaze.  The  furnace  should  be 
of  a clear  heat  all  throughout  and  so  continued  for  about  twelve 
hours,  drawing  away  the  ashes  from  below  with  the  “ cacciabragie  ” 
or  rake.  When  sufficiently  baked  let  the  fire  burn  out,  and  re- 
move the  cinders  that  all  may  become  cool. 

We  must  refer  to  the  Introduction  to  the  large  catalogue  of  the 
maiolica  collection  at  South  Kensington  for  further  extracts, 
quoting  here  one  sentence  only  where  the  author  says,  ‘‘And 
now  I will  give  you  the  ‘ sbiancheggiati  ’ that  is  made  in  Lombardy, 
bearing  in  mind  that  the  earth  of  Vicenza  is  used,  making  the 
design  on  the  white  earth ; I would  say  with  a style  of  iron  of 
this  kind  (gives  design),  and  this  drawing  is  called  ‘ sgraffio.’ 
This  is  an  interesting  passage  connecting  as  it  does  these  incised 
wares  with  the  fabriques  of  Lombardy,  to  which,  from  the  cha- 
racter of  the  designs  upon  the  earlier  pieces,  we  have  always 
assigned  them. 

In  his  third  book  Piccolpasso  goes  into  further  details  of  the 
glaze  and  colours,  manner  of  painting,  firing,  &c. 

The  “ bianchetto  ” which  is  only  once  baked,  and  the  other 
colours,  being  removed  from  the  furnace,  are  triturated  with  water 
on  a “piletta”  or  hand  colour  mill,  or  by  means  of  a pestle  and 
mortar,  to  reduce  them  to  a fine  powder,  amd  passed  through  a 
horse-hair  sieve.  Some  grind  them  on  a slab  of  porphyry  which 
is  even  better.  The  green  pigment  may  be  baked  two  or  three 
times.  The  “ zallo  ” and  the  “ zallulino,”  after  once  or  twice 
baking,  are  covered  Avith  earth  and  again  baked  in  the  hottest 
part  of  the  furnace. 

The  Avhite  enamel  glaze,  having  been  properly  milled  and  fined 
through  a sieve,  is  made  into  a bath  with  water  to  the  consistency 
of  milk.  The  pottery  baked  in  biscuit  is  taken  out  of  the  furnace, 


MAIOLICA. 


58 

and  after  being  carefully  dusted  with  a fox’s  tail  is  dipped  into 
this  bath  of  glaze  and  immediately  withdrawn,  or  some  of  the 
pieces  may  be  held  in  the  left  hand  while  the  liquor  is  poured 
over  them  from  a bowl.  A trial  piece  should  show  the  thickness 
of  glove  leather  in  the  adhering  coat.  The  “ invetriatura”  having 
been  thus  applied  and  the  pieces  allowed  to  dry  are  now  ready 
to  receive  the  painting.  This  is  executed  with  coarser  and  finer 
brushes  or  penelli,  made  of  goats’  and  asses’  hair,  and  the  finest  of 
the  whiskers  of  rats  or  mice ; the  ordinary  wares  being  held  in 
the  left  hand  or  on  the  left  knee  and  the  finer  in  wooden  cases, 
lined  with  tow,  to  prevent  rubbing.  A different  brush  must  be 
used  for  each  colour.  The  painters  generally  sit  round  a circular 
table  suspended  from  the  ceiling  so  that  it  may  turn  round,  and 
upon  this  the  different  pigments  are  placed. 

The  painted  pieces  after  being  dried  in  a clean  place,  taking 
care  that  the  bianco  ” is  not  chipped  or  rubbed  off,  are  painted 
with  zallulino  on  the  ^outer  edge  and  are  then  ready  to  receive 
the  “ coperta  ” or  outer  glaze.  The  liquid  of  the  bath  must  be 
thin,  as  a translucent  coating  only  is  required  over  the  colours  ; 
into  this  the  pieces  are  dipped,  and  being  again  dried  are  ready 
for  the  final  firing. 

In  a supplement  Piccolpasso  gives  us  an  account  of  the 
manner  of  making  maiolica,  and  it  will  be  observed  that  through- 
out his  narrative  he  has  never  applied  that  term  to  the  painted 
and  glazed  wares  produced  at  his  own  botega,  or  at  any  of  the 
others  to  which  he  refers. 

He  tells  us  that  he  feels  he  ought  not  to  omit  the  account  of  it 
which  he  has  received  from  others,  although  he  has  never  made 
or  even  witnessed  the  making  of  it  himself.  I know  well  ” he 
says  that  it  is  painted  over  finished  works  ; this  I have  seen  in 
Ugubio,  at  the  house  of  one  Maestro  Cencio.”  The  portion  of 
the  design  which  is  to  receive  the  lustre  colour  is  left  white  at  the 
first  painting ; thus,  a figure  in  a grotesque  whose  extremities  are 
to  be  lustred  will  only  have  those  parts  painted  which  are  to  be 


MAJOLICA, 


59 


coloured,  leaving  the  extremities  merely  sketched  in  outline  upon 
the  white  ground ; these,  after  the  colours  have  been  set  by  firing, 
are  subsequently  touched  with  the  lustre  pigment.  The  process 
of  firing  differs  from  the  former  one,  because  the  pieces  are  not 
enclosed  in  seggars  but  are  exposed  to  the  direct  action  of  the 
flames. 

The  furnace  also  is  differently  constructed,  the  fire  chamber 
square  in  form,  having  no  arched  roof  pierced  with  holes  but 
only  two  intersecting  arches  of  brick  to  support  the  chamber 
above,  the  four  corners  being  left  as  openings  for  the  free  current 
of  the  flames.  Upon  these  arches  is  placed  a large  circular 
chamber  or  vessel,  formed  of  fire-clay,  which  fits  into  the  square 
brick  structure,  touching  at  the  four  sides  and  supported  on  the 
intersecting  arches  beneath,  but  leaving  the  angles  free.  This 
inner  chamber  is  pierced  in  all  directions  with  circular  holes,  to 
allow  the  flames  free  passage  among  the  wares.  The  method  of 
building  these  furnaces  is  kept  guarded,  and  it  is  pretended  that 
in  it  and  the  manner  of -firing  consist  the  great  secrets  of  the  art. 
The  scudelli  are  packed  with  the  edge  of  one  against  the  foot  of 
another,  the  first  being  supported  on  an  unglazed  cup.  The 
furnaces  are  small,  only  from  three  to  four  feet  square,  because 
this  art  is  uncertain  in  its  success,  frequently  only  six  pieces  being 
good  out  of  one  hundred;  “true  the  art  is  beautiful  and  ingenious, 
and  when  the  pieces  are  good  they  pay  in  gold.’^  The  fire  is  in- 
creased gradually,  and  is  made  of  palli  or  dry  willow  branches  ; 
with  these  three  hours  firing  is  given,  then,  when  the  furnace 
shows  a certain  clearness,  having  in  readiness  a quantity  of  dry 
broom  cease  using  the  willow  wood,  and  give  an  hour’s  firing  with 
this ; after,  with  a pair  of  tongs  remove  a sample  from  above. 
Others  leave  an  opening  in  one  of  the  sides  by  which  a sample 
or  trial,  painted  on  a piece  of  broken  ware,  can  be  removed  for 
examination,  and  if  it  appears  sufficiently  baked  decrease  the  fire. 
This  done,  allow  all  to  cool,  then  take  out  the  wares  and  allow 
them  to  soak  in  a lessive  of  soap-suds,  wash  and  rub  them  dry 


6o 


MAIOLICA, 


with  a piece  of  flannel,  then  with  another  dry  piece  and  some 
ashes  (of  wood)  give  them  a gentle  rubbing,  which  v/ill  develope 
all  their  beauty. 

“ This  is  all,  as  it  appears  to  me,  that  can  be  said  about  the 
maiolica,  as  also  about  the  other  colours  and  mixtures  that  are 
required  in  this  art.” 


CHAPTER  VII. 


We  have  given  in  the  last  chapter  a very  brief  abstract  or 
epitome  of  the  interesting  manuscript  of  Piccolpasso,  which  offers 
us  a perfect  idea  of  the  manner  and  comparatively  simple  appli- 
ances under  which  the  beautiful  examples  of  the  potter’s  art  were 
produced  in  Italy  during  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries. 
The  rationale  of  these  processes  is  clear  enough  and  requires  no 
comment ; but  we  may  perhaps  remark  that  whereas  the  fixing  of 
the  glaze  and  colours  in  the  ordinary  process  is  merely  produced 
by  a degree  of  heat  sufficient  to  liquefy  and  blend  them,  in  the 
case  of  the  metallic  reflection  a different  effect  is  requisite,  and 
different  means  adopted.  The  pigments  consist  partly  of  metallic 
salts,  which  being  painted  on  the  wares,  after  exposure  to  a simple 
heat  for  some  time,  have  then  directed  upon  their  glowing  surface 
the  heated  smoke  given  off  by  the  fagots  of  broom ; this  smoke 
being  in  fact  carbon  in  a finely  divided  state  has  great  power,  at 
a high  temperature,  of  reducing  metals  from  their  salts  ; painted 
on  the  wares  these  are  thereby  decomposed,  leaving  a thin  coat 
of  mixed  metal,  varying  in  colour  and  iridescence  from  admixture 
with  the  glaze  and  other  causes,  and  producing  the  beautiful 
effects  so  well  known. 

The  various  names  by  which  the  Italian  pottery  of  the  renais- 
sance has  been  known  have  in  some  instances  arisen  from,  as 
they  have  also  led  to,  error.  “ Eaenza  ware,”  doubtless,  had  its 
origin  from  the  town  of  that  name,  although  its  French  equivalent 
“ faience  ” may  either  be  a translation  of  the  Italian,  or  may  be 
derived  from  a town  in  Provence,  called  “ Faiance  ” or  “ Fay- 


62 


MAIOLICA. 


ence,”  a few  miles  from  Cannes  and  Frejus,  where  potteries  are 
stated  to  have  existed  from  an  early  period.  “ Urbino  ware  ” 
and  “ Umbrian  ware”  explain  themselves  as  connected  with  those 
important  sites  of  the  manufacture,  while  the  name  of  “Raffaelle 
ware  ” was  doubtless  derived  from  the  subjects  after  his  designs, 
with  which  so  many  pieces'  were  painted,  and  from  the  gro- 
tesques after  his  manner.  A very  beautiful  drawing  of  his  school, 
and  which  has  been  ascribed  to  Raffaelle’s  own  pencil,  is  in  the 
royal  collection  at  Windsor.  It  is  for  the  border  of  a plate,  and 
consists  of  a continuous  circular  group  of  amorini,  dancing  in  the 
most  graceful  attitudes. 

Scripture  subjects  are  perhaps  more  general  upon  the  pieces 
of  early  date,  particularly  those  of  Faenza,  on  which  designs  from 
Albert  Diirer,  Martin  Schon,  and  other  German  painters  are 
found,  executed  with  the  greatest  care;  such  subjects  were  also 
used  at  Caffaggiolo.  The  spirit  of  the  renaissance  awakening  a 
passion  for  the  antique  declared  itself  in  the  numerous  represen- 
tations from  Greek  and  Roman  history  and  mythology,  scenes 
from  Homer,  the  metamorphoses  of  Ovid,  and  the  like,  which 
formed  the  main  stock  subjects  for  the  wares  of  the  Umbrian 
fabriques,  excepting  always  the  sacred  histories  delineated  so 
admirably  by  Orazio  Fontana  and  others,  from  the  designs  of 
Raffaelle  and  his  scholars.  It  was  among  the  artists  of  this  duchy 
that  the  habit  of  writing  the  subject  on  the  back  of  the  piece 
chiefly  prevailed,  with  specimens  of  curious  spelling  and  strange 
latinity.  Transmutation  of  subject  is  not  rare,  as  the  burning 
of  the  “ Borgo  ” for  the  siege  of  Troy,  and  others.  The  forms 
appear  to  have  varied  considerably  at  different  localities  of  the 
craft,  partaking  of  a classic  origin,  mixed  with  some  orientalism  in 
the  earlier  and  gothic  forms  in  the  more  northern  pieces;  but 
upon  all  the  exuberance  of  fancy  and  rich  ornamentation  cha- 
racteristic of  the  Italian  “ cinque-cento  ” is  made  evident,  as  it  is 
upon  the  furniture,  the  bronzes,  and  the  jewellery  of  that  artistic 
period. 


MAJOLICA. 


63 


There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  maiolica  and  finer  painted 
wares  were  looked  upon  at  the  time  they  were  produced  as  ob- 
jects of  ornament  or  as  services  ‘‘de  luxe.”  The  more  ordinary 
wares  or  dozzinale  were  doubtless  used  for  general  domestic  pur- 
poses in  the  houses  of  the  higher  classes,  but  the  finer  pieces 
decorated  by  better  artists  were  highly  prized.  Thus  we  find  that 


services  were  only  made  for  ro)^al  or  princely  personages,  fre- 
quently as  presents-  Some  of  the  choicest  specimens  in  our 
cabinets  were  single  gift  pieces;  small  plates  and  scodelle  which 
it  was  then  the  fashion  for  gallants  to  present,  filled  with  preserves 
or  confetti^  to  ladies.  Many  of  these  are  of  the  form  known  as 
tondino^  small,  with  a wide  fiat  brim  and  sunk  centre ; in  this  the 
central  medallion  is  generally  occupied  by  a figure  of  Cupid, 
hearts  tied  by  ribbon,  or  pierced  by  arrows;  or  by  joined  hands 


64 


MAIOLICA. 


and  similar  amatory  devices,  or  with  a shield  of  arms  and  initial 
letters.  The  borders  are  painted  with  grotesques  and  trophies, 
among  which  sonnets  and  music  sometimes  occur,  and  medallions 
with  love  emblems,  portraits,  and  armorial  bearings.  These 
amatorii  pieces  also  occur  as  large  plates  and  deep  saucers,  the 
surface  of  each  entirely  covered  with  a portrait  of  the  beloved  (as 
in  the  engraving  p.  63)  accompanied  by  a ribbon  or  banderole,  on 
which  her  name  or  a motto  is  inscribed,  often  with  the  compli- 
mentary accompaniment  of  “ bella,”  ‘‘diva,”  “paragon  di  tutti,” 
&c.  Jugs,  vases,  and  other  shaped  pieces  were  also  decorated  in 
a similar  style. 

We  find  in  maiolica  all  objects  for  table  use  : inkstands,  orna- 
mental vases,  and  quaint  surprises  j salt-cellars  of  curious  forms  ; 
jugs  of  different  size  and  model ; many  kinds  of  drug  pots  and 
flasks  ; pilgrims’  bottles,  vasques,  and  cisterns  ; candelabra  and 
candlesticks,  rilievos  and  figures  in  the  round;  in  short,  every 
object  capable  of  being  produced  in  varied  fancy  by  the  potter’s 
art : even  beads  for  necklaces,  some  of  which  are  in  the  writer’s 
possession,  decorated  with  knot  work  and  concentric  patterns 
and  inscribed  severally  andrea  • bella  = margarita  * bela  = 
MEMENTO  ' MEi  *;  these  last,  the  only  examples  known,  are  finished 
with  considerable  care  and  are  probably  of  the  earlier  years  of  the 
sixteenth  century. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  many  of  the  pieces  ostensibly  for  table 
use  were  only  intended  and  applied  for  decorative  purposes  (like 
the  vase  in  the  woodcut  p.  131),  to  enrich  the  shelves  of  the  “ cre- 
denza,”  “ dressoir,”  or  high-backed  sideboard,  intermingled  with 
gold  and  silver  plate,  Venetian  glass,  &c.  Such  pieces  were  known 
as  “ piatti  di  pompa  ” or  show  plates,  and  among  them  are  some 
of  the  most  important  and  beautiful  of  the  larger  dishes  and  bacili, 
as  well  as  the  more  elaborate  and  elegant  of  the  shaped  pieces. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Persian,  Damascus,  and  Rhodian  Wares. 

In  a previous  chapter  we  have  traced  the  origin  or  parentage  of 
this  section  of  wares  to  the  glazed  pottery  and  artificial  semi-porce- 
lain of  Egypt,  and  we  have  seen  that  in  Assyria  and  at  Babylon 
siliceous  glazed  tiles  were  used  for  wall  decoration.  Whether  in 
Persia  and  in  India  a similar  manufacture  existed  at  that  early 
period  we  have  at  present  no  exact  knowledge,  but  we  are  told 
by  the  Count  Julien  de  Rochchouart  in  his  interesting  “ Souvenirs 
d’un  voyage  en  Perse  ” that  he  possesses  a brick  glazed  of  dark 
blue  colour,  with  cuneiform  characters  in  white,  which  was  found 
among  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  city  of  Kirman.  The  mosques  of 
the  1 2th  century  in  that  country,  particularly  that  at  Natinz,  are 
covered  with  glazed  tiles  of  the  most  perfect  workmanship  and 
artistic  excellence,  with  coloured  and  lustred  decoration.  Later 
examples — of  the  earlier  years  of  the  17  th  century — specimens  of 
which  are  in  the  Kensington  museum  are  also  beautiful,  and  the 
fashion,  though  in  a degenerate  form,  is  revived  in  that  country  at 
the  present  day.  The  piece  of  glazed  pottery  supposed  to  have 
been  of  ancient  Hebrew  origin  and  now  preserved  in  the  Louvre 
is  also  of  this  nature,  and  it  is  suggested  by  M.  Jacquemart.that 
the  Israelites  may  have  acquired  the  art  in  Egypt. 

The  varieties  of  pottery  known  under  the  names  of  Persian, 
Damascus,  Rhodian,  and  Lindus  wares,  composing  a large  family, 
may  be  classified  as  siliceous  or  glass-glazed  wares.  The  leading 
characteristics  are — 


F 


65 


MAJOLICA, 


1.  A paste  composed  of  a sandy  and  a white  argillaceous  earthy 

and  some  alkali  or  flux,  greatly  varying  in  their  relative 
proportions,  and  producing  degrees  of  fineness  and  hard- 
ness from  a coarse  sandy  earthenware  to  a semi-vitrified 
translucent  body,  the  latter  being  in  fact  a kind  of  porce- 
lain of  artificial  paste. 

2.  A glaze  formed  as  a true  glass,  of  siliceous  sand  and  an  alkali 

(potash  or  soda),  with  the  addition  in  some  cases  of  a small 
quantity  of  oxide  of  lead  or  other  flux. 

Such  is  the  general,  but  by  no  means  the  constant,  definition 
of  the  component  ingredients  of  all  the  varieties  rightly  classed 
together  as  members  of  this  group,  for  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
great  variations  occurred  in  their  composition  at  different  periods 
and  places,  and  some  examples  of  the  finer  kinds  of  Persian, 
Arabian,  and  perhaps  of  Damascus  wares  are  met  with  in,  or 
under,  the  glaze  of  which  the  oxide  of  tin  has  been  used  to  pro- 
duce a white  and  more  even  surface. 

A large  amount  of  information  about  Persian  ware  is  conveyed 
to  us  in  the  work  of  the  cornte  de  Rochchouart  who,  during  a 
residence  of  some  years  in  Persia,  gave  great  attention  to  its 
ceramic  productions  of  former  and  of  present  times.  After 
establishing  the  fact  of  the  former  production  of  at  least  four 
distinct  kinds  of  Kaolinic  porcelain,  he  minutely  describes 
ancient  varieties  of  faience  of  which  the  polychrome  pieces  are 
the  more  rare,  the  blue  and  white  less  so;  he  mentions  one 
uncommon  variety,  believed  to  have  been  made  at  Cachan,  as 
having  a paste  of  red  earth  covered  with  a stanniferous  enamel  of 
great  beauty,  and  painted  in  cobalt  under  a glaze  highly  baked 
they  ring  like  metal.  We  do  not  recollect  having  seen  an 
example  of  this  variety.  Marks  imitating  those  on  Chinese 
porcelain  occur  on  pieces  painted  in  cobalt  blue  on  white.  He 
further  tells  us  that  the  ancient  faience  of  Persia  is  as  admirable 
as  the  modern  is  detestable,  notwithstanding  it  retains  a degree  of 


MAIOLICA, 


67 


oriental  elegance.  The  industry  at  present  is  carried  on  at 
Nahinna ; at  Natinz,  where  pottery  has  been  made  for  some 
hundred  years,  and  where  some  of  the  finest  was  produced  but 
now  inferior ; at  Cachan,  turquoise  blue,  and  many-coloured ; 
while  Hamadan,  Kaswine  and  Teheran  make  inferior  wares,  the 
latter  being  the  worst. 

We  do  not  derive  any  information  from  M.  de  Rochchouart  on 
the  subject  of  the  lustred  wares,  except  in  his  description  of  the 
tiles  of  the  mosque  of  Natinz  of  the  12th  century;  nor  do  we 
learn  anything  of  that  variety  of  creamy  white  pottery  having  the 
sides  pierced  through  the  paste  but  filled  with  the  translucent 
glaze,  and  which  is  believed  to  be  the  Gombron  ware  of  Horace 
AValpole’s  day.  But  he  gives  interesting  information  on  the 
subject  of  the  tiles  used  for  decoration,  of  which  the  finest  are 
those  mentioned  above ; those  of  Ispahan  and  of  the  period  of 
Shah  Abbas  (1585-1629)  being  also  admirable  for  their  exquisite 
design. 

The  Persian  glazed  pottery  known  to  us  may  be  divided  into  : 

A.  Wares,  generally  highly  baked,  and  sometimes  semi-trans- 

lucent. Paste,  fine  and  rather  thin,  decorated  with  ruby, 
brown,  and  coppery  lustre,  on  dark  blue  and  creamy 
white  ground.  Engraved  p.  68  is  a very  curious  and  cha- 
racteristic example  : unfortunately  imperfect.  It  is  in  the 
Kensington  collection. 

B.  Wares,  of  fine  paste,  highly  baked,  semi-translucent,  of 

creamy  colour  and  rich  clear  glaze,  running  into  tears 
beneath  the  piece  of  a pale  sea-green  tint.  Its  character- 
istic decoration  consisting  of  holes  pierced  through  the 
paste,  and  filled  in  with  the  transparent  glaze  : the  raised 
centres,  &:c.  are  bordered  with  a chocolate  brown  or  blue 
leafage,  slightly  used.  This  is  supposed  to  be  the 
Gombron  ware. 

C.  Wares,  frequently  of  fine  paste,  and  highly  baked  to  semi- 


F 2 


68 


MAIOLICA, 


transparency  : the  ground  white ; decoration  of  plants  and 
animals,  sometimes  after  the  Chinese,  in  bright  cobalt 
blue,  the  outlines  frequently  drawn  in  manganese ; some 


pieces  with  reliefs  and  imitation  Chinese  marks  also  occur; 
this  variety  is  perhaps  more  recent  than  the  others. 


We  assign  the  name  Damascus  as  the  chief  centre  of  a large 
class  of  wares  which  were  also  made,  in  all  probability,  in  Egypt, 
Turkey,  Syria,  Asia  Minor,  &c.,  and  among  which  pieces  of 
Persian  manufacture  may  be  included  from  our  want  of  exact 
knowledge  of  their  technical  differences ; a certain  general 
character  pertaining  to  the  whole  class.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  Damascus  was  an  important  producer  of  this  pottery,  which 


MAJOLICA, 


69 


was  known  to  the  commerce  of  the  i6th  century  as  “ Damas  ” 
ware,  and  we  have  examples,  in  silver  mountings,  of  the  period  of 
queen  Elizabeth.  It  would  be  well,  therefore,  to  revive  the  term 
“ Damas”  or  ‘‘Damascus  ware ” for  this  family,  of  which  the  true 
Damascus  and  Rhodian  are  only  local  varieties,  in  preference  to 
the  misapplied  general  name  of  “ Persian,”  by  which  they  have 
been  known. 

The  paste  varies  in  quality  more  than  in  kind,  being  of  a grey 
white  colour  and  sandy  consistence,  analogous  to  that  of  the 
Persian  wares.  The  decoration  is  more  generally  rich  in  colour, 
the  ground  white,  blue,  turquoise,  tobacco  colour,  and  lilac, 
sometimes  covered  with  scale  work,  with  panels  of  oriental  form 
or  leafage,  large  sprays  of  flowers,  particularly  roses,  , tulips, 
hyacinths,  carnations,  &c.,  the  colours  used  being  a rich  blue, 
turquoise,  green,  purple,  yellow,  red,  black.  The  forms  are 
elegant ; large  bowls  on  raised  feet,  flasks  or  bottles  bulb-shaped 
with  elongated  necks;  pear-shaped  jugs  with  cylindrical  necks 
and  loop-handle  ; circular  dishes  or  plates  with  deep  centres,  &c. 
An  interesting  example  of  the  highest  quality  of  this  ware  is  in 
the  writer’s  possession,  and  is  described  and  figured  in  colour  in 
vol.  xlii.  of  the  “ Archaeologia.”  It  is  a hanging  lamp  made  for 
and  obtained  from  the  mosque  of  Omar  at  Jerusalem,  signed  and 
dated  June  1549. 

Two  leading  varieties  are  known  in  collections : namely,  Damas- 
cus proper  ; known  by  its  evenness  of  surface  and  rich  glaze  with 
subdued  but  harmonious  colouring,  certain  tones  of  which  are 
peculiar  to  this  variety;  for  example,  a dull  lilac  or  purple, 
replacing  the  embossed  red  so  conspicuous  on  the  Rhodian,  and 
used  against  blue,  which  is  of  two  or  three  shades,  the  turquoise 
being  frequently  placed  against  the  darker  tone ; a sage  green  is 
also  characteristic.  The  dishes  of  this  variety  usually  have  the 
outer  edge  shaped  in  alternating  ogee. 

This  kind  is  much  more  uncommon  than  the  other,  Rhodian 
or  Lindus,  to  which  the  greater  number  of  pieces  known  in 


70 


MAW  Lie  A. 


collections  as  ‘‘Persian  ware”  belong.  It  is  to  Mr.  Salzmann  that 
we  owe  the  discovery  of  the  remains  of  ancient  furnaces  at 
Lindus,  in  the  island  of  Rhodes,  from  the  old  palaces  of  which  he 
collected  numerous  examples.  This  variety,  although  extremely 
beautiful,  is  generally  coarser  than  the  former,  and  the  decoration 


more  marked  and  brilliant.  A bright  red  pigment,  so  thickly 
laid  on  as  to  stand  out  in  relief  upon  the  surface  of  the  piece,  is 
very  characteristic  and  in  many  cases  is  a colour  of  great  beauty; 
the  predominant  decoration  of  the  plates  consists  of  two  or  three 
sprays  of  roses,  pinks,  hyacinths,  and  tulips,  and  leaves,  sometimes 
tied  together  (as  in  the  woodcut)  at  the  stem  and  spreading  over 
the  entire  surface  of  the  piece  in  graceful  lines ; the  border 
frequently  of  black  and  blue  scroll  work.  Ships,  birds,  and 


MAIOLICA. 


71 


animals,  are  also  depicted ; and  a shield  of  arms  occurs  on  some 
pieces. 

Another  very  distinct  and  perhaps  more  recent  class,  the 
Anatolian,  consists  of  those  wares  frequently  found  in  collections, 
as  cups  and  saucers,  sprinklers,  perfume  vases,  covered  bowls,  and 
the  like,  generally  pieces  of  small  size.  The  ground  is  usually 
white,  sometimes  incised  with  cross  lines  by  means  of  a piece  of 
wood  scratching  the  soft  paste,  with  a gay  decoration  of  many 
colours,  among  which  a brilliant  yellow  is  conspicuous  in  scale  work, 
lattice  and  diaper  patterns,  flowers,  &c.  Its  glaze  is  frequently 


not  brilliant,  but  rather  rough  on  the  surface;  but  the  pieces  are 
well  baked.  This  variety  is  ascribed  to  the  fabrique  of  Kutahia 
in  Anatolia. 

There  is  yet  another  variety  of  this  section  which  is  somewhat 
exceptional,  approaching  as  it  does  in  composition  to  the  first 
division  of  the  Persian  wares,  and  on  the  other  hand  to  the 
decoration  of  the  earlier  pieces  of  the  Hispano-moresque.  It  is 
composed  of  a sandy  paste  of  the  kind  general  to  this  section,  and 
is  decorated  either  in  black  outline  relieved  or  filled  in  with  blue 
painted  directly  on  the  paste,  and  covered  by  a thick  translucent 
glaze  of  a creamy  tone,  running  into  tears  at  the  bottom  of  the 
piece;  or  glazed  entirely  with  a translucent  dark  blue  glass,  over 


72 


MAJOLICA. 


which  the  decoration  is  painted  in  a rich  lustre  colour,  varying 
between  the  golden  and  ruby  tints  of  the  Italian  Majolica,  and 
differing  considerably  from  those  upon  the  Hispano-moresque 
wares. 

We  give  on  the  preceding  page  three  or  four  marks  from  various 
pieces  of  Persian  or  rather  “ Damascus  ” ware. 

Before  we  pass  to  another  class,  it  may  be  well  again  to  direct 
the  reader’s  attention  to  that  important  application  of  glazed 
oriental  pottery,  already  referred  to,  and  which  has  been  in  use 
more  or  less  throughout  the  east  from  a period  of  remote  antiquity. 
Indeed,  there  is  perhaps  no  instance  in  which  the  superiority  of 
oriental  taste  in  surface  decoration  is  more  distinctly  shown  than 
In  the  use  of  enamelled,  or  more  properly  speaking,  siliceous 
glazed  tiles,  as  a covering  for  external  and  internal  wall  space. 
We  have  already  seen  how  fragments  of  such  embellishments 
have  been  yielded  by  the  ruins  of  Assyria  and  Babylon,  by  Arabia 
in  the  seventh,  and  Persia  in  the  twelfth  century  j and  Damascus, 
J erusalem,  Cairo,  and  Constantinople  still  have  brilliant  examples 
of  this  exercise  of  the  potter’s  art. 

The  distressing  state  of  ruin  or  neglect  into  which  many  of  the 
tombs  and  mosques,  so  beautified,  have  been  reduced  or  permitted 
to  fall  greatly  detracts  from  their  effect,  although  not  without  its 
charm  to  the  painter’s  eye  and  it  is  refreshing  to  see  them,  as  at 
Constantinople,  in  a somewhat  better  state  of  preservation.  In 
that  city  there  is  excellent  work  of  this  kind  in  the  old  palace  of 
the  Seraglio,  where  the  writer  noticed  tiles  remarkable  for  their 
size  and  for  the  perfection  of  their  manufacture.  Some  of  these, 
nearly  two  feet  square,  are  covered  with  the  most  elegant 
arabesque  diapering  of  foliage  and  flowers  intertwined,  among 
which  birds  and  insects  are  depicted.  These  may  probably  have 
been  the  work  of  a Persian  potter.  But  it  is  in  the  tomb  of 
Soliman  the  great,  built  in  1544,  that  the  effect  of  this  mode  of 
decoration  can  be  studied  to  better  advantage.  Here  the  entire 
walls  of  the  interior  are  faced  with  tiles  of  admirable  diaper 


MAJOLICA. 


73 


patterns,  within  borders  of  equal  elegance,  adapted  to  the  form  of 
the  wall  which  they  panel  and  following  the  subtle  outlines  of  the 
window  openings,  which,  filled  in  with  gem-like  coloured  glass 
between  their  intricate  tracery,  produce  an  effect  of  the  greatek 
richness  and  harmony.  The  application  of  glazed  pottery  for 
decorating  wall  surface  seems  never  to  have  taken  root  in  Greece 
or  Italy  (although  slabs  of  glass  of  various  colours  were  used  by 
the  Romans  for  that  purpose),  where  Mosaic  had  established 
itself  long  anterior  to  the  advance  of  oriental  influence  ; and  even 
in  the  most  palmy  clays  of  the  production  of  Italian  majolica  and 
painted  pottery,  nothing  of  this  kind  was  attempted  by  her  artists 
beyond  an  occasional  flooring — with  the  exception  of  Luca  della 
Robbia,  who  not  only  covered  ceilings  with  tiles  between  the 
relievo  subjects  on  the  spandrils  and  the  centre,  as  seen  at  San 
Miniato  and  the  Pazzi  chapel  at  Santa  Croce  in  Florence,  but 
executed  roundels  and  arch  fillings  of  tiles,  painted  with  subjects 
on  the  flat  surface.  Germany  made  great  use  of  tiles  for  facing 
stoves  and  other  purposes  in  the  sixteenth  century,  but  their 
inspiration  was  not  oriental ; and,  again,  the  Dutch  tiles,  much 
used  in  England  during  the  last  century,  are  well  known  but 
ornamented  on  a false  principle  of  decorative  art.  In  the  Indian 
court  of  the  international  exhibition  of  1871  were  examples  of 
Zenana  windows  and  wall  tiles  from  Sinde,  of  recent  manufacture, 
and  of  precisely  similar  character  in  body  and  glaze  to  the  class 
of  wares  now  under  consideration.  They,  moreover,  show  another 
mode  of  decoration,  known  as  '"'■pate  suj^pdteP  in  which  the  design  is 
painted  on  the  surface  of  the  clay  in  a slip  or  engobe^^  of  lighter 
colour  underneath  the  glaze ; a manner  of  ornamentation  found 
upon  early  Chinese  porcelain,  and  upon  that  ascribed  by  M. 
Jacquemart  to  Persia. 

These  tiles,  together  with  shaped  pieces  of  the  same  Indian 
ware,  are  very  interesting,  being  without  doubt  the  modern  repre- 
sentatives of  a remote  manufacture  and  having  the  closest  affinity 
with  the  ancient  Egyptian  glazed  pottery.  Whence  they  were 


74 


MAJOLICA, 


derived  or  which  the  parent  stock  is  a question  the  answer  to 
which  we  are  not  at  present  in  a position  to  do  more  than  guess 
at.  In  France  and  England  reproductions  have  appeared,  many 
of  which  are  excellent  from  the  talent  of  their  painters  or  from 
the  technical  qualities  of  their  manufacture : those  produced  by 
the  Messrs.  Minton,  copied  or- derived  from  oriental  originals,  are 
particularly  beautiful. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Hispano-moresque  Pottery. 

This  numerous  and  now  well-defined  class  of  wares  was  a few 
years  since  indiscriminately  grouped  with  the  lustred  Maiolica  of 
Italy,  in  which  country  the  larger  number  of  specimens  now  in 
our  collections  had  been  preserved,  and  whence  they  have  been 
procured.  Many  hesitated  to  believe  in  their  Spanish  origin, 
thinking  it  more  probable  that  they  were  the  work  of  Moorish 
potters  established  in  the  sister  peninsula.  The  correspondence, 
however,  of  technical  character  with  the  azulejos,”  the  well-known 
tiles  which  adorn  the  palace  of  the  Alhambra  at  Seville,  and  with 
the  celebrated  “ jarra  ” or  Alhambra  vase,  as  also  a marked  differ- 
ence between  these  and  any  wares  of  knov/n  Italian  manufacture, 
led  to  the  conviction  that  they  must  be  of  Spanish  origin,  and  the 
work  of  the  Moorish  potters  and  their  descendants  who  had  been 
established  in  that  country. 

Under  this  belief  they  were  classed  together  as  Hispano-arabian 
enamelled  and  lustred  wares,  but  this  appellation  would  connect 
them  with  the  so-called  Saracens  who  conquered  that  country  in 
A.D.  712.  The  first  Arab  invaders  were  themselves  expelled  in 
756  by  Abd-el-Rhama,  who  caused  himself  to  be  proclaimed 
caliph  at  Cordova.  This  city  thus  became  the  great  centre  of  his 
power,  and  here  was  erected  the  mosque  of  which  the  decoration 
attests  the  exquisite  oriental  taste  of  its  founders.  The  orna- 
mental wall  tiles  on  this  building  are  of  truly  Hispano-arabian 
manufacture. 

The  rule  of  the  successors  of  Abd-el-Rhama  ended  and  the  line 


76 


MAJOLICA, 


became  extinct  in  1038,  soon  after  which  time  the  Moorish  con- 
quest was  completed.  In  1235  Granada  became  the  chief  seat 
of  the  Moorish  rulers,  and  there  they  erected  the  fortress-palace 
of  the  Alhambra  about  1273.  After  an  occupation  of  the  country 
for  four  centuries  the  Moors  were  conquered  in  1492.  The  Chris- 
tian element  would  then  predominate  in  the  decoration  of  the 
pottery;  and  in  1566  the  last  blow  was  struck  at  Moorish  art  by 
the  promulgation  of  a decree  prohibiting  the  speaking  or  writing 
of  their  language,  and  forbidding  the  use  to  men  and  women  of 
their  national  dress  and  veil,  and  the  execution  of  decorative 
works  in  the  Moresque  style. 

When  first  recognized  as  a distinct  family  these  wares  were 
found  to  be  difficult  of  classification,  from  the  entire  absence  of 
dates  or  names  of  manufactories.  Labarte  and  others  considered 
the  copper-lustred  pieces  to  be  the  earlier,  but  Mr.  Robinson,  with 
his  usual  acuteness,  saw  in  the  ornamentation  of  various  examples 
reasons  for  reversing  this  arrangement,  and  suggested  one  which 
subsequent  observation  has  only  tended  to  confirm.  He  placed 
those  pieces  having  a decoration  in  a paler  lustre  with  interlacings 
and  other  ornaments  in  manganese  and  blue,  coats  of  arms,  &c., 
in  the  earlier  period ; those  having  the  ornament  in  the  paler 
lustre  only,  without  colour,  of  nearly  equal  date,  as  also  some  of 
the  darker  coppery  examples  with  shields  of  arms  ; and  of  a later 
period  those  so  glaring  in  copper-coloured  lustre  as  to  be  more 
painful  than  pleasing  to  the  eye. 

M.  Davillier  (to  whose  researches  into  the  history  of  these  wares 
we  are  greatly  indebted)  considers  that  in  all  probability  Malaga 
was  the  earliest  site  of  the  manufacture,  and  argues  that  its  mari- 
time situation  and  trade  with  the  east  and  its  proximity  to  Gra- 
nada would  warrant  that  opinion,  which  is  strengthened  by  the 
earliest  documentary  evidence  yet  brought  to  light.  One  Ibn- 
Batoutah  a native  of  Tangier,  writing  in  1350  after  journeying 
through  the  east,  states  that  ‘‘  at  Malaga,  the  beautiful  gilt  pottery 
or  porcelain  is  made,  which  is  exported  to  the  most  distant  coun- 


MAIOLICA, 


77 


tries.”  He  makes  no  mention  of  a fabrique  at  Granada  in  describ- 
ing that  city,  and  we  may  therefore  reasonably  conclude  that 
Malaga  was  the  centre  of  this  industry  in  the  Moorish  kingdom, 
and  if  so  there  is  great  probability  that  the  celebrated  Alhambra 
vase  was  made  there.  From  the  style  of  its  ornamentation,  the 
form  of  the  characters  in  the  inscriptions,  and  other  inferences,  the 
date  of  this  piece  may  be  fairly  assigned  to  the  middle  of  the  14th 
century,  which  would  be  about  the  same  period  as  that  traveller’s 
visit  to  the  city.  It  has  nevertheless  been  ascribed  by  others  to 
an  earlier  time,  about  1320.  This  vase  is  so  generally  and  well 
known  that  we  need  only  allude  to  its  characteristic  form  and 
richly  decorated  surface.  It  is  said  to  have  been  found  in  the 
1 6th  century  under  the  pavement  of  the  Alhambra  together  with 
several  others,  all  of  which  were  filled  with  gold  \ a tradition  which 
may,  perhaps,  have  some  foundation  in  fact. 

The  Alhambra  vase  was  copied  at  Sevres  in  1842,  and  since  by 
the  Messrs.  Deck  in  faience,  of  the  original  size  after  a cast  and 
photographs  procured  by  M.  Davillier.  This  last  is  now  in  the 
South  Kensington  museum. 

The  fabrique  of  Malaga  existed  in  the  sixteenth  century ; and 
the  plateau  engraved  p.  78  was  probably  made  there.  We  learn  from 
Lucio  Marineo  writing  of  the  memorable  things  of  Spain  in  1517, 
that  “at  Malaga  are  made  also  very  beautiful  vases  of  faience.” 
After  this  date  no  further  record  is  found,  and  M.  Davillier  thinks 
it  probable  that  the  works  gradually  declined  as  those  of  Valencia 
increased  in  importance,  and  that  by  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth 
century  they  had  entirely  ceased.  He  attributes  to  these  potteries 
three  large  deep  basins  and  two  vases  in  the  hotel  Cluny  at  Paris, 
which  are  covered  with  designs  in  golden  reflet  and  blue  of  great 
similarity  to  those  of  the  Alhambra  vase,  and  also  the  fine  vase 
from  the  Soulages  collection  at  South  Kensington. 

After  the  fabrique  of  Malaga  that  of  Majorca  is  thought  to 
be  the  most  ancient,  and  the  extension  of  its  manufactures  by 
commerce  is  indirectly  proved  by  the  adoption  of  the  term 


78 


MAJOLICA, 


Majolica”  by  the  potters  of  Italy  for  such  of  their  wares  as  were 
decorated  with  the  metallic  lustre.  Scaliger,  writing  in  the  first 
half  of  the  sixteenth  century,  speaks  highly  of  the  wares  of  the 


Balearic  islands : but  not  being  an  expert  ” in  ceramic  produc- 
tions, after  praising  the  porcelain  recently  brought  from  China, 
admires  what  he  calls  their  imitations  made  at  Majorca.  “We 
call  them  (he  says)  ‘ majolica;  changing  one  letter  in  the  name  of 
the  island  where  we  are  assured  that  the  most  beautiful  are 


MAJOLICA. 


79 


made:”  an  interesting  testimony  to  the  importation  of  these  wares 
into  Italy  and  the  knowledge  of  their  origin,  as  also  to  the  de- 
rivation of  the  term  applied  to  the  home  manufacture  of  Pesaro 
and  Gubbio. 

Although  presumably  of  much  earlier  date  no  record  of  this 
pottery  occurs  till  that  of  Giovanni  di  Bernardi  da  Uzzano,  the 
son  of  a rich  Pisan  merchant,  who  in  1442  wrote  a treaty  on 
commerce  and  navigation,  published  by  Paquini,  in  which  he 
speaks  of  the  manufactures  of  Majorca  and  Minorca,  particularly 
mentioning  faience  which  ‘‘had  then  a very  large  sale  in  Italy.” 
We  have  evidence  that  the  principal  seat  of  the  manufacture  was 
at  Ynca,  in  the  interior  of  the  island  ; and  in  confirmation  of  this 
discovery  some  plates  have  been  observed  by  M.  Davillier  in  col- 
lections on  which  the  arms  of  that  island  are  represented.  One 
is  in  the  hotel  Cluny,  and  is  probably  of  the  fifteenth  century.  It 
is  Moresque  in  style  with  illegible  inscriptions  in  an  odd  mixture 
of  the  Arabic  and  Gothic  characters ; the  lustre  of  a red  colour 
and  the  arms  in  the  centre.  These  arms  are,  paly  gules  and  or,, 
on  a fess  argent  a dog  in  the  act  of  bounding,  sable. 

There  would  seem  also  to  have  been  a fabrique  at  Iviga  for 
Vargas,  in  his  description  of  the  Balearic  islands,  says,  “ It  is 
much  to  be  regretted  that  Iviga  has  ceased  to  make  her  famous 
vases  of  faience,  destined  for  exportation  as  well  as  for  local  con- 
sumption.” But  of  their  precise  nature  he  gives  us  no  informa- 
tion and  we  have  no  knowledge. 

The  kingdom  of  Valencia  in  the  time  of  the  Romans  was 
noted  for  its  works  in  pottery  j those  produced  at  Saguntum,  the 
present  Murviedro,  having  a great  reputation  at  that  period  ac- 
cording to  Pliny,  who  mentions  the  jasper  red  pottery  of  Sagun- 
tum where  1,200  workmen  were  employed. 

To  these,  after  the  occupation  of  the  Goths,  succeeded  the  Arab 
workmen  who  accompanied  the  Mussulman  conquest  in  711. 
Again,  when  the  Moors  were  in  1239  subjected  to  Christian  do- 
mination the  potters’  art  was  considered  of  sufficient  importance 


8o 


MAJOLICA. 


to  claim  a special  charter  from  the  king,  who  granted  it  to  the 
Saracens  of  Xativa,  a small  town  now  called  San-Felipe.  This 
charter  provides  that  every  master  potter  making  vases,  domestic 
vessels,  tiles,  “rajolas”  (an  Arabic  name  for  wall-tiles,  synony- 
mous with  “azulejos”),  should  pay  a ‘^besant”  annually  and 
freely  pursue  his  calling. 

Sir  Wm.  Drake  in  his  notes  on  Venetian  ceramics  cites  an 
ordinance  of  the  Venetian  senate  in  1455,  declaring  that  no 
earthenware  works  of  any  kind  should  be  introduced  into  the 
dominions  of  the  Signory  except  crucibles  (“  correzzo/i”)  and 
Majolica  of  Valencia  ; an  important  fact  proving  the  value  that  was 
attached  to  the  Spanish  lustre  wares  in  Italy  in  the  middle  of  the 
fifteenth  century.  The  woodcut  p.  81  represents  a fine  plateau  at 
South  Kensington,  golden  lustred;  of  about  the  year  1500. 

Marineo  Siculo,  writing  in  1517,  devotes  a chapter  to  the 
utensils  and  other  objects  of  faience  made  in  Spain,  in  which  he 
states  that  ‘Hhe  most  esteemed  are  those  of  Valencia,  which  are 
so  well  worked  and  so  well  gilded ; ” and  Capmany  records  a de- 
cree of  the  municipal  council  of  Barcelona  in  1528  relative  to 
the  exportation  of  faience  to  Sicily  and  elsewhere,  in  which  “ la 
loza  de  Valencia”  is  named.  Again  Barreyros  a Portuguese,  in 
his  ‘‘ Chorographia,”  praising  the  pottery  of  Barcelona  says  that 
it  is  “even  superior”  to  that  of  Valencia.  The  expulsion  of  the 
Moors  in  1610  by  Philip  III.  gave  the  fatal  blow  to  this  industry, 
as  we  learn  from  contemporary  authors  that  many  of  the  banished 
artizans  were  potters  (“olleros”). 

From  time  immemorial  St.  John  the  evangelist  has  been  par- 
ticularly venerated  at  Valencia,  and  in  the  grand  processions  of 
Corpus  Christi  the  emblematic  eagle  is  carried,  holding  in  his 
beak  a banderole  on  which  is  inscribed  the  first  sentence  of  his 
gospel : “/;?  principio  erat  Verbim  et  Verhicjn  erat  apud  DeiimJ 
On  some  pieces  of  Hispano-moresque  ware  this  sentence  is  in- 
scribed, and  the  eagle  sometimes  covers  the  front,  sometimes  the 
back.  There  is  therefore  reason  to  infer  that  these  were  made  in 


MAIOLICA. 


8 1 


one  of  the  fabriques  of  Valencia,  and  if  so  their  style  would  be 
to  a considerable  extent  typical  of  the  Valencian  pottery.  The 
decoration  was  probably  inspired  by  the  wares  of  Malaga,  and  it 


is  likely  that  many  of  the  pieces  ot  the  fifteenth  century,  bearing 
inscriptions  in  Gothic  characters  with  animals,  &c.  in  blue,  may 
be  of  this  fabrique. 

In  the  British  museum  is  a plate  painted  with  an  antelope  and 
Moresque  ornament  in  blue,  and  with  the  inscription  “ 
(Batalina  ^uarha  i5.cis : ” others  occur,  though  very  rarely,  with 


G 


82 


MAJOLICA, 


Spanish  inscriptions.  At  the  commencement  of  the  17th  century 
the  Valencian  wares  had  lost  nearly  all  their  Moresque  character, 
and  the  employment  of  the  copper  lustre  only  was  retained  : 


the  designs  having  figures  in  the  costumes  of  that  period  and 
coarse  leafage  or  birds  with  ‘‘  rococo  ” ornaments. 

It  would  thus  appear  that  the  fabrique  of  Malaga  was  the  most 
ancient,  and  that  of  Valencia  the  most  important  in  Spain ; but 
other  potteries  existed,  and  their  productions  were  widely  dis- 
tributed. The  woodcut  represents  a Valencian  dish  with  golden 


MAJOLICA. 


83 


lustre,  of  the  15th  century.  That  these  wares  were  imported  into 
England  is  proved  by  fragments  found  in  London,  on  one  of 
which,  in  the  British  museum,  is  represented  a man  in  the 
costume  of  the  period  of  Henry  the  fourth,  about  1400. 


Makers’  names  have  never  been  observed  upon  pieces  of  this 
pottery,  and  marks  are  very  rarely  met  with.  The  above  marks 


84 


MAIOLICA. 


are  on  the  back  of  two  small  plates  with  deep  centres,  in  which  is 
painted  a shield  of  arms  bearing  a crowned  eagle  with  open  wings 
in  blue,  the  rest  of  the  surface  being  diapered  with  small  vine  or 
briony  leaves  and  interlaced  tendrils  in  concentric  order,  of  golden 
lustre  on  the  creamy  white  ground. 

These  pieces  are  perhaps  of  the  same  service,  probably  of 
Malaga  or  Valencia,  and  maybe  of  the  earlier  half  of  the  15th 
century  j they  are  in  the  writer’s  possession.  In  Mr.  Henderson’s 
rich  collection  is  a vase  on  one  side  of  which  is  the  inscription, 
of  which  we  give  a facsimile  : 


It  reads  Illustrissimo  Signore  Cardinale  D’Este  in  Urbe 
Romse.” 

Specimens  of  a lustred  ware  have  been  brought  from  Sicily, 
differing  materially  from  that  of  Spain,  and  perhaps  forming  a 
connecting  link  between  that  and  the  earlier  Persian  pottery. 
They  are  formed  of  an  ordinary  clay  covered  with  an  earthy  or 
stanniferous  (?)  wash,  which  is  again  coated  with  a rich  trans- 


MAIOLICA. 


85 


lucent  blue  glaze  on  which  a diapering  of  vermicular  ornament  in 
coppery  lustre  covers  the  whole  piece,  except  that  the  edges  and 
handles  are  also  painted  in  lustre.  This  ware  is  by  no  means 
common;  it  occurs  in  the  form  of  plates,  covered  bowls,  and 
albarelH  i'"*  and  is  supposed  to  be  the  workmanship  of  Moorish 
potters  at  Calata-Girone. 


CHAPTER  X. 


Italian  Pottery;  Sgraffiati,  and  Caffaggiolo. 

Coming  now  to  Italian  pottery,  we  must  speak  first  of  sgraffiati, 
graffiti,  or  incised  wares.  This  mode  of  ornamentation  is  one  of 
the  most  primitive  and  universal  in  a ruder  form,  although  it 
appears  but  little  on  the  early  glazed  wares  of  our  own  country ; 
of  those  of  France  a fine  example,  attributed  to  the  14th  century, 
is  preserved  at  Sevres.  In  Italy,  as  was  the  case  in  all  other 
varieties  of  pictorial  art,  it  was  brought  to  a high  degree  of  perfec- 
tion, not  merely  as  a manner  of  ornamenting  pottery  but  applied 
on  a large  scale  to  mural  decoration.  It  appears  to  have  been  in 
use  from  an  early  period,  examples  of  a coarse  kind  occurring 
among  the  plates  incrusted  in  the  towers  of  churches  of  the  12th 
and  13th  centuries  at  Pisa  and  elsewhere,  and  it  was  probably  in 
use  before  or  coeval  with  the  earliest  painted  wares. 

Its  method  as  applied  to  pottery  is  described  by  Piccolpasso 
in  his  manuscript,  and  consists  in  covering  the  previously  baked 
“ biscuit  of  ordinary  potter’s  clay  with  a slip  ” or  “ engobe  ” of 
the  white  marl  of  Vicenza,  by  dipping  it  into  a bath  of  that  earth 
milled  with  water  to  the  consistence  of  cream;  when  dry,  this 
white  covering,  fixed  by  a slight  baking,  is  scratched  through  with 
an  iron  instrument  shewing  the  design  in  the  red  colour  of  the 
clay  against  the  superimposed  white  ground.  It  is  then  covered 
with  an  ordinary  translucent  lead  glaze,  and  clouded  with  yellow 
and  green  by  slight  application  of  the  oxides  of  iron  and  copper. 

There  appears  to  be  a considerable  range  in  the  dates  of  various 
specimens  in  collections,  some  of  which  are  probably  among  the 


MAJOLICA, 


S7 


earliest  examples  of  Italian  decorative  pottery  that  have  come 
down  to  us ; others  may  be  of  the  middle  or  last  quarter  of  the 
15th  century  and,  like  the  fine  example  which  we  engrave,  are 


highly  characteristic ; great  skill  is  shown  upon  them  in  the  com 
bination  of  figures  and  foliage  in  relievo  with  the  incised  orna- 
mentation. Nearly  all  the  pieces  of  this  class  are  probably  the 
work  of  one  botega,  and  are  distinguished  by  the  character  of 
their  designs ; a border  of  mulberry  leaves  is  very  general,  or 
shields  of  the  “ pavoise”  or  kite  form.  Judging  also  from  the  sort 
of  florid  Gothic  character  to  be  seen  in  some  of  the  leafage  mould 
ings,  from  the  costumes  of  the  north  of  Italy  in  the  15th  century, 
and  from  the  lion  supporters  and  other  details  which  connect  them 
with  north  Italian  art,  we  have  little  hesitation  in  believing  that 
they  were  produced  in  Lombardy  or  the  Venetian  mainland. 

Of  the  more  important  examples,  the  Louvre  possesses  a fine 
cup  on  a raised  stem  and  supported  by  three  lions ; in  the  interior, 
a man  habited  in  the  costume  of  the  15th  century  stands  playing 


88 


MAJOLICA. 


a mandolin  between  two  females,  one  of  whom  sings  while  the 
other  plays  the  tambourine  ; the  raised  and  incised  mouldings  on 
this  piece  are  very  characteristic.  In  the  British  museum  are  some 
fine  dishes,  one  of  which  is  remarkable  for  the  admirable  execution 
of  the  work,  on  which  are  represented  figures  in  the  costume  of 
the  15  th  century,  festoons  of  fruit  and  other  ornaments.  On 
another  are  the  figures  of  a gentleman  and  a lady  who  plays  the 
viol,  in  the  costume  of  the  15th  or  early  i6th  century  standing 
dos  d dos on  her  side  is  a “pavoise”  shield  bearing  the 
“ biscia  ” or  serpent  of  the  Visconti,  while  the  man  supports  him- 
self on  one  bearing  the  flaming  bomb-shell,  the  impresa  of  Alfonso 
d’Este,  borne  by  him  at  the  battle  of  Ravenna  in  1512. 

In  the  writer’s  collection  are  two  early  dishes,  one  of  which  is 
remarkable  for  a raised  flower  in  the  centre  and  incised  decoration 
on  front  and  back.  He  also  possesses  a large  dish,  19J  inches  in 
diameter,  having  a medallion  central  subject  of  the  Virgin  and 
Child  : the  rest  of  the  piece  being  covered  with  interlacing 
branches  of  what  may  be  mulberry  bearing  leaves  and  fruit,  a 
serpentine  wreath  of  the  same  encircling  the  border. 

It  is  probable  that  were  the  archives  of  Florence  thoroughly 
searched  some  record  might  be  found  of  the  establishment  or 
existence  at  Caffaggiolo  of  an  artistic  pottery  encouraged  and 
patronized  by  the  Medici  family,  but  at  present  we  have  no  such 
recorded  history.  Here  again  the  objects  themselves  have  been 
their  best  and  only  historians.  It  was  but  a few  years  since  that 
the  ill  indited  name  of  this  botega,  noticed  upon  the  back  of  a 
plate,  was  read  as  that  of  the  artist  who  had  painted  it ; but  the 
discovery  of  other  more  legible  signatures  proved  that  at  this 
spot  important  and  highly  artistic  works  had  been  produced.  The 
occurrence  of  a monogram  upon  several,  with  the  comparison  of 
their  technical  details,  has  led  to  the  recognition  of  many  pieces, 
and  revealed  the  fact  that  this  fabrique  had  existed  from  an  early 
period,  and  was  productive  of  a large  number  of  pieces  of  varying 
quality. 


MAIOLICA, 


89 


M.  Jacquemart  surmises  that  at  Caffaggiolo  Luca  della  Robbia 
learnt  the  nature  of  the  enamel  glaze,  which  he  applied  to  his 
relievos  in  terra  cotta.  We  know  that  Luca  painted  subjects  on 
plain  surfaces,  enamelled  with  the  stanniferous  glaze  as  early  as 
the  year  1456,  when  he  executed  the  painted  tiles  which  form  a 
kind  of  framing  to  the  tomb  of  Benozzo  Federighi  in  the  church 
of  San  Francesco  de  Paolo,  under  the  hill  of  Bellosguardo.  The 
most  important  work  by  him  of  this  nature  is  the  lunette  over  one 
of  the  doors  in  the  entrance-hall  of  the  “ Opera  del  Duomo  ” in 
Florence.  Whether,  learnt  from  him,  this  enamel  was  adopted  at 
the  Grand  Ducal  fahrique  at  an  early  period,  or  whether  he  there 
obtained  the  knowledge  which  he  applied  and  modified  to  his  own 
uses,  remains  a question,  the  answer  to  which  would  be  facilitated 
by  the  proved  date  of  the  establishment  of  that  pottery,  or  the 
occurrence  of  pieces  anterior  to  the  tiles  enamelled  and  painted 
by  Luca  j but  upon  these  points  we  unfortunately  have  not  as  yet 
discovered  any  recorded  memorial. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  although  many  are  of  very  early 
date  no  piece  of  a Mezza  ware,  confidently  assignable  to  this 
establishment,  is  known  to  the  writer ; all  that  have  come  under 
his  notice  are  enamelled  with  the  white  stanniferous  glaze,  no 
instance  of  the  use  of  an  engohe  or  slip  having  been  observed. 
The  woodcut  p.  90  is  from  an  early  and  probably  Tuscan  plateau. 

The  leading  characteristics  of  the  Caffaggiolo  wares  are  a 
glaze  of  rich  and  even  quality,  and  purely  white ; and  the  use  of 
a very  dark  cobalt  blue  of  great  intensity  but  brilliant  as  that  of 
lapis  lazuli,  frequently  in  masses  as  a grounding  to  the  subject : 
and  it  would  seem  laid  on  purposely  with  a coarse  brush,  the 
strokes  of  which  are  very  apparent.  We  give  an  engraving  p.  91  of 
a curiously  decorated  tazza  of  early  date.  The  colours  are  green, 
purple  and  blue.  A bright  yellow,  an  orange  of  brilliant  but 
opaque  quality,  a peculiarly  liquid  and  semi-transparent  copper- 
green  are  also  found,  and  another  characteristic  pigment  is  an 
opaque  bright  Indian  red.  This  pottery  has  a nearer  affinity  to 


90 


MAJOLICA, 


that  of  Siena  than  to  any  other  fabrique,  and  it  is  not  unreasonable 
to  suppose  that  they  had  a like  origin  or  that  the  establishment 
at  Siena  emanated  from  Caffaggiolo.  Both  resemble  in  general 
style  the  pieces  produced  at  Faenza  and  Forli  more  than  those  of 


other  fabriques  of  the  northern  duchies,  or  of  the  Umbrian  centres 
of  the  art ; and  it  becomes  a question  as  to  which  can  claim  the 
earliest  origin,  as  also  the  earliest  use  of  the  stanniferous  enamel 
glaze.  The  dates  inscribed  upon  pieces  begin  in  1507-9,  but 
undated  examples,  assignable  to  this  locality  and  of  an  earlier 
period,  exist  in  collections. 

The  use  of  the  metallic  lustre  seems  to  have  been  tried  at 


MAIOLICA, 


91 


Caffaggiolo,  but  from  the  extreme  rarity  of  examples  bearing 
the  mark  of  or  fairly  ascribable  to  that  establishment,  we  may 


perhaps  infer  that  only  a few  experimental  pieces  were  made,  and 
that  this  method  of  enrichment  was  but  little  used.  A small 


plateau  at  South  Kensington,  no.  7154,  represented  in  the  wood- 
cut  is  an  important  example,  having  the  mark.  As  might  be 


92 


MAJOLICA. 


expected,  the  arms,  emblems,  and  mottoes  of  the  Medici  family 
frequently  occur,  and  occasionally  the  letters  S.  P.  Q.  F.  are 
introduced  on  labels'  for  “ Senatiis  Jopulusqite  FlorentinusJ 
M.  Jacquemart  considers  that  some  of  the  early  groups,  &c.  in 
relievo  and  in  the  round  and  early  plaques  with  the  sacred 
emblem,  the  majority  of  which  are  generally  ascribed  to  Faenza, 
may  be  of  this  botega.  We  quite  concur  with  him  in  this  opinion. 

The  South  Kensington  museum  is  rich  in  fine  specimens  of 
this  ware  of  various  date  and  great  variety,  some  of  which  are 
among  the  most  admirable  examples  of  the  potter’s  art.  It  is 
remarkable  that  we  have  no  recorded  names  of  the  artists  who 
painted  these  beautiful  pieces,  and  it  is  only  at  the  latter  end 
of  the  sixteenth  century  that  we  find  mention  of  Giacomo  and 
Toys  Ridolfi  of  Caffaggiolo,  who  emigrated  with  other  potters 
from  the  then  less  encouraged  manufactories  of  Italy  to  try 
their  fortune  in  France.  M.  Jacquemart  tells  us  that  these 
potters  or  painters  founded  a fdiencerie'‘^  in  1590  at  Marche- 
coul,  in  Bretagne. 

Some  confusion  has  arisen  among  connoisseurs  in  France  and 
elsewhere  as  to  the  wares  of  Caffaggiolo  and  those  of  Faenza,  and 
indeed  it  is  frequently  difficult  to  draw  the  line  of  distinction ; but 
we  can  hardly  follow  M.  Jacquemart  in  his  historical  classification, 
believing  that  some  of  the  pieces  assigned  by  him  to  this  fabrique 
do  not  really  support  their  claim.  A similar  remark  may  apply  to 
many  of  those  in  the  Louvre  ascribed  to  this  pottery  by  Mons. 
Darcel. 

Two  large  and  finely  painted  early  dishes  (presented  by  Mr. 
Franks)  are  in  the  British  museum;  they  were  probably  made 
about  1480-1500.  On  one  is  a group  of  saints,  after  an  engraving 
by  Benedetto  Montana,  on  red  ground,  with  a border  of  leafage 
moulding  and  peacock’s  feather  ornament.  On  the  other  is  the 
subject  of  the  Judgment  of  Solomon.  The  colours  on  these 
pieces  are  very  rich,  with  much  of  the  characteristic  red  pigment ; 
the  bold  and  firm  drawing  has  an  archaic  tendency  which  points 


MAIOLICA. 


93 


to  an  early  period.  The  earliest  dated  piece  having  a mark  and 
with  reason  believed  to  be  of  this  fabrique,  is  a plate  in  the  style 


of  Faenza  with  border  of  grotesques  and  central  shields  of  arms, 
in  the  painting  of  which  the  characteristic  red  is  used  and 


94 


MAIOLICA. 


on  which  is  the  date  1507  with  the  mark ; that  curious  combina- 
tion of  letters  P.L  and  O.  Another  is  dated  1509.  The  letters 
S.  P.  Q.  F.  occur  among  the  ornaments.  M.  Jacquemart  con- 
siders as  of  the  first  period,  those  pieces  having  letters  allusive  to 
the  Florentine  republic,  or  the  Medici  arms  and  emblems ; or  the 
motto  of  Giuliano  di  Medici.  “ Glovis  ” also  occurs,  which  has 
been  ingeniously  deciphered  as  meaning  “ Si  volg,”  ‘‘  it  (fortune) 
turns,”  if  read  backwards : referring  to  the  favour  shown  to 
Giuliano  when  appointed  Gonfalonier  to  the  Church.  A noble 
pitcher  at  South  Kensington  no.  1715  (p.  93)  has  the  Medici  arms ; 
and,  beneath,  also  the  motto  Glovis.  A large  carelessly  painted 
dish,  in  the  British  museum,  the  subject  Abel’s  sacrifice,  has  the 
word  GLOVIS  ” and  the  letters  S.  P.  Q.  R.  on  the  altar,  and  on 
the  reverse  the  name,  curiously  spelt,  In  Chafaggilolo  ” between 
the  ordinary  mark  twice  repeated.  The  name  seems  to  have 
been  spelt  in  various  ways,  as  “ Caffagiulo,”  ‘‘  Gafagiol,”  Caffag- 
giolo,”  ‘‘  Chaffaggiolo,”  ‘‘  Chafaggilolo,”  Gafagizotto,”  &c. 

Some  of  the  specimens  at  South  Kensington  are  of  extraordi- 
nary beauty.  Of  the  more  interesting  may  be  instanced  no.  7154, 
lustred,  having  the  Caffaggiolo  mark  painted  on  the  reverse  in 
the  yellow  pigment.  The  large  circular  dish  no.  8928  on  which 
is  represented  a procession  of  Leo  X.  is  curious  as  a contempo- 
rary work  and  for  the  costume.  The  St.  George  after  the  statue 
by  Donatello,  no.  1726,  is  of  great  excellence,  as  is  the  interest- 
ing plate  engraved  above,  p.  44,  on  which  a ceramic  painter  is 
represented  at  work  in  the  presence  of  a gentleman  and  lady, 
probably  portraits  of  personages  of  high  standing,  as  also  of  the 
painter  himself.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  he  refrained  from  re- 
cording their  names  and  was  content  with  affixing  only  the  mono- 
gram of  the  fabrique  at  the  back  of  the  piece.  The  beautiful 
plate  with  central  subject  of  Vulcan  forging  a wing  and  elegant 
border  of  grotesques,  masks,  cupids,  &c.,  no.  2990,  is  probably 
by  the  same  hand  as  the  two  last  referred  to  and  is  a fine 
example.  The  large  jug  already  referred  to  having  the  Medici 


MAJOLICA. 


95 


arms  on  the  front  and  other  devices  of  that  family,  no.  1715?  is 
remarkable  for  its  excellence  of  glaze  and  colour,  as  well  as  for 


^ r N 

~X ‘ 


its  historical  associations.  So,  again,  is  the  vase  no.  321  made  for 
the  Medici  at  a somewhat  later  date  j and  which  we  also  engrave. 


CHAPTER  XL 


Siena  and  Pesaro. 

Well-nigh  all  the  history  we  have  of  the  early  artistic  pottery 
of  Siena  may  be  read  upon  the  specimens  of  her  produce,  pre- 
served in  our  museums  and  private  collections.  A considerable 
number  of  pieces,  evidently  the  work  of  one  able  hand,  has  been 
variously  assigned  to  the  furnaces  of  Faenza,  of  Caffaggiolo,  and 
of  Pesaro ; to  the  first  two  from  a general  similarity  in  the  cha- 
racter of  their  design.  On  the  other  hand,  the  initials  I.  P. 
occurring  in  large  characters  on  the  reverse  of  some  of  the  pieces 
were  presumed  to  be  those  of  the  words  “ In  Pesaro,”  and  led  to 
a confusion  of  them  with  others  really  painted  at  the  Lanfranchi 
works  at  Pesaro  and  marked  with  the  same  initials  but  in  a 
smaller  form  j standing  for  the  signature  of  the  artist,  ^^jiacomo 
pinsitr  These  last,  then  unknown  to  collectors,  were  cited  by 
Passeri  who  was  supposed  to  refer  to  the  far  more  beautiful 
works  now  under  consideration. 

The  acquisition,  however,  of  a pavement  of  tiles  from  the  Pe- 
trucci  palace  at  Siena,  dated  1509,  and  the  knowledge  of  the 
existence  of  others  of  a similar  stamp  in  the  church  of  San 
Francesco  in  that  city,  the  style  of  handling  as  well  as  the  design 
and  colouring  upon  v/hich  agreed  closely  with  these  works;  a 
fine  dish  in  the  British  museum  in  the  same  manner,  and  on 
which  occurs  one  of  the  same  coats  of  arms  as  those  upon  the 
pavement  of  the  Petrucci ; and  the  further  acquisition  of  a small 
plate,  the  painting  of  which  in  blue  camaieu  is  assuredly  in  the 
manner  of  the  finer  examples  above  referred  to,  and  which  is 


MAIOLICA. 


97 


signed  on  the  reverse  ^^fata  i Siena  da  ili  benedetto 'S'  form  to- 
gether a chain  of  evidence  conclusive  as  to  the  existence  of  this 
fabrique,  and  the  origin  of  the  various  pieces  in  question. 

The  South  Kensington  museum  possesses  very  important 
specimens  of  this  master’s  work;  and  the  connexion  of  the 


several  examples  is  very  minutely  traced  in  the  large  catalogue  of 
Maiolica.  We  need  only,  therefore,  generally  observe  that  they 
are  worthy  of  being  ranked  among  the  most  excellent  productions 
of  the  potter’s  skill  in  Italy  during  the  earlier  years  of  the  i6th 
century ; and  that  in  respect  of  their  technical  characteristics,  and 
the  tone  and  manner  of  their  colouring  and  design,  they  are  more 
nearly  allied  to  the  productions  of  the  Caffaggiolo  furnaces,  from 
which  in  all  probability  the  inspiration  of  them  was  derived.  We 
give  woodcuts  of  three  of  these  beautiful  pieces;  nos.  1569, 
1792,  and  4487.  The  last  of  these  is  very  interesting  on  account 
of  the  mark  and  inscription  upon  the  reverse  (also  engraved 
p.  99),  showing  that  the  painter  was  probably  Benedetto  himself, 


H 


98 


MAIOLICA. 


who  was  then  the  head  of  the  establishment.  The  drawing  of  the 
central  figure  is  masterly  and  finished  with  the  utmost  care. 


One  of  the  finest  specimens  of  this  master  belongs  to  Mr. 
Henderson;  the  central  subject  is  that  of  Mutius  Scaevola  before 
Porsenna ; it  is  painted  with  great  care  and  is  surrounded  by  a 
border  of  grotesques  on  orange  ground.  On  the  reverse  is  the 


MAIOLICA. 


99 


mark  in  the  accompanying  woodcut.  The  grotesques  upon  the 


border  of  a large  dish  in  the  British  museum  are  painted  upon  a 

b ack  p-ound,  an  unusual  style  which  also  occurs  on  some  of  the 
.1.,  of  ,te  Pohocci  i,  „ 

to  this  botega. 

We  lose  sight  of  the  Sienese  pottery  for  two  centuries,  when  it 
again  appears  under  the  then  best  ceramic  painter  in  Italy 
Ferdmando  Maria  Campani  who  is  said,  but  we  do  not  know  on 


H 2 


TOO 


MAJOLICA. 


what  exact  authority,  to  have  worked  also  at  Castelli  and  at  San 
Quirico.  A piece  signed  by  him  is  at  South  Kensington.  His 
subjects,  as  in  this  instance,  were  frequently  taken  from  the  Bible 
series  of  Raffaelle  as  rendered  by  Marc  Antonio’s  engravings,, 
and  from  the  works  of  the  Caracci.  Some  extremely  well 
executed  tiles,  plates,  &c.  copied  and  adapted  from  the  old,, 
have  also  been  produced  within  the  last  few  years  at  Siena 
under  the  superintendence  of  signor  Pepi,  a druggist,  opposite 
the  Prefecture.  We  have  occasionally  met  with  some  of  these,, 
scratched  and  chipped  by  other  artists  to  suit  the  modern-antique 
market. 

The  small  town  of  Monte  Lupo,  nestling  under  its  rocca  ” on 
the  southern  bank  of  the  river  at  the  opening  of  the  Val  d’  Arno 
inferiore,  is  on  the  road  from  Florence  and  near  to  Empoli.  Its 
pottery  is  distinguished  (or  we  should  rather  say  notorious)  for 
having  produced  the  ugliest  and  most  inferior  painted  pieces  that 
bear  the  signature  of  their  maker  and  the  place  where  they  were 
made. 

But  a ware  of  a different  kind  formed  of  a red  clay  and  glazed 
with  a rich  treacle-brown  or  black  glaze,  the  forms  of  the  pieces 
being  sometimes  extremely  elegant,  has  been  also  assigned  to  this 
locality.  Some  of  them  are  enriched  with  gilding  and  with 
subjects  painted  in  oil  colours,  not  by  a ceramic  artist.  We  are 
informed,  however,  by  signor  Giuseppe  Raffaelli  that  wares  of 
this  description  were  made  at  Castel  Durante,  and  that  a fine 
example  of  them,  with  portraits  of  a count  Maldini  and  his  wife, 
is  preserved  in  the  library  at  Urbania.  He  describes  them  as 
made  of  a red  earth  covered  with  an  intensely  black  glaze,  on 
which  the  oil  painting  and  gilding  were  executed.  It  is  neverthe- 
less probable  that  Monte  Lupo  produced  a similar  ware,  and  pieces 
occur  ornamented  with  reliefs  and  with  raised  work,  engobe^  with  a 
white  or  yellow  clay  on  the  brown  ground,  by  the  process  known 
as  pate  sur  pate.  Certain  pieces  marbled  on  the  surface  to  imitate: 
tortoiseshell,  agate,  &c.  are  ascribed  to  this  pottery. 


MAJOLICA, 


lOI 


At  Sevres  is  a tazza  with  ill  painted  subject  on  white  ground 
and  inscribed, — 

“ Dipint  a Giovinale  Tereni 
da  MontelupoJ 

and  a dish  in  the  hotel  Cluny  at  Paris,  painted  with  the  subject  of 
the  rape  of  Helen  somewhat  in  the  manner  of  the  Urbino  wares, 
has  at  the  back, 

‘‘  Vrate  delina 
fate  in  Monte! 


This,  we  think,  more  likely  to  have  been  the  production  of 
Monte  Lupo  than  of  Monte  Feltro,  to  which  it  has  been  ascribed. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  potteries  existed  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  important  commercial  city  of  Pisa,  and  it  is  more 
than  probable  that  the  painted  and  incised  bacini^  which  are 
encrusted  into  her  church  towers  and  facades,  are  mostly  of  local 
manufacture  during  the  12th,  13th,  and  14th  centuries.  On 
this  subject  we  must  refer  the  reader  to  the  remarks  in  the 


IC2 


MAJOLICA, 


chapter  on  Persian  and  Hispano-moresque  wares.  Among  the 
latter,  references  will  be  found  to  two  writers  who  stated  that 
a commerce  existed  between  Valencia  and  Pisa,  from  whence 
faience  was  imported  into  Spain  in  exchange  for  the  wares  of  that 
countr}^  It  does  not  however  follow  that  this  faience  was 
entirely  of  Pisan  production,  although  exported  thence  j but  it  is 
not  improbable  that  a considerable  quantity  was  made  there  for 
exportation. 

Antonio  Beuter,  praising  the  wares  of  Spain,  says  that  they  are 
equal  in  beauty  to  those  of  Pisa  and  other  places.  This  was 
about  1550.  Early  in  the  next  century  Escolano  says,  speaking 
of  the  wares  of  Manises,  ‘‘  that  in  exchange  for  the  faiences  that 
Italy  sends  us  from  Pisa,  we  export  to  that  country  cargoes  of 
that  of  Manises.” 

In  the  collection  of  baron  Alphonse  de  Rothschild,  of  Paris,  is 
a large  and  well  formed  vase  with  serpent  handles,  under  which 
the  name  PISA  is  inscribed  on  tablets.  It  is  much  in  the  manner 
of  the  later  Urbino  wares,  having  grotesques  on  a white  ground, 
but  more  nearly  approaching  those  examples  at  South  Kensington 
(nos.  321  and  323)  having  the  arms  of  the  Medici,  which  we 
have  ascribed  in  the  large  catalogue  to  Caffaggiolo  or  Florence. 
It  has  been  suggested  that  this  vase  may  be  of  the  Pesaro 
fabrique,  and  that  the  word  upon  it  was  merely  a variation  in 
spelling  the  first  half  of  the  name  Fis^ro;  but  we  see  no  reason 
for  accepting  such  an  explanation  or  that  Pisa  should  be  denied 
the  small  honour  of  having  produced  this  example,  the  only  one 
inscribed  with  her  name. 

There  can  be  very  little  doubt  that  a manufactory  of  glazed 
earthenware  existed  at  Pesaro  or  in  its  immediate  outskirts 
from  a very  early  period,  and  that  it  probably  succeeded  to  the 
works  established  there  in  Roman  times,  the  remains  of  which 
have  occasionally  been  brought  to  light ; but  with  the  exception 
of  the  recorded  names  of  certain  potters,  occurring  in  deeds  and 
records  which  are  preserved  among  the  public  archives  of  the 


MAJOLICA. 


103 


city,  we  are  uninformed,  and  unable  to  recognize  the  produce  of 
these  potteries  or  to  know  their  characteristics. 

Anterior  to  1540  we  have  no  signed  and  dated  example,  and 
should  therefore  be  reduced  to  the  position  of  entire  ignorance  as 
to  their  previous  productions  but  for  the  work  of  the  indefati- 
gable archaeologist  Giambattista  Passeri.  Born  in  1694  at 
Farnese  in  the  Campagna  di  Roma  (where  his  father,  of  a 
patrician  family  of  Pesaro,  practised  as  a physician)  and  educated 
at  Rome,  he  subsequently  settled  in  his  parental  city  and 
published  the  “ Istoria  delle  pitture  in  Maiolica  fatte  in  Pesaro  e 
in  luoghi  circonvicini,”  in  1758.  To  him  we  are  indebted  for  the 
notice  of  the  potters  above  alluded  to,  and  in  his  work  he  gives 
us  an  account  of  the  mode  pursued  in  the  manufacture,  much  of 
which  however  he  appears  to  have  derived  from  the  earlier  manu- 
script of  Piccolpasso.  He  tells  us  that  the  large  early  bacili 
enriched  with  a madrepcrla  lustre  were  the  produce  of  Pesaro ; 
and  in  corroboration  states  that  many  of  them  are  painted  with 
the  coats  of  arms  and  portraits  of  the  members  of  noble  Pesarese 
families,  instancing  one  with  the  arms  of  the  Bergnana  ” family 
then  preserved  in  the  Casa  Olivieri.  It  has  been  objected  that 
Passeri  was  influenced  by  local  partiality  in  favour  of  the  native 
city  of  his  family,  and  that  he  ascribed  to  her  furnaces  what  may 
in  equal  likelihood  have  been  produced  at  Gubbio  or  Diruta ; 
and  the  discovery  of  a few  pieces  of  lustred  ware,  marked  as  the 
produce  of  the  latter  Gastello  in  the  middle  of  the  i6th  century, 
was  hailed  by  several  critics  as  conclusive  evidence  against  his 
assertion. 

It  appears  to  the  writer  that  such  evidence  is  equally  unsatis- 
factory, inasmuch  as  the  works  in  question  were  produced  some 
century  and  a half  anterior  to  the  earliest  dated  piece  of  Diruta 
ware.  Passeri  wrote  in  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  when  the 
art  was  no  longer  in  existence  and  its  specimens  only  preserved 
in  the  cabinets  of  the  curious  ; but  he  was  a man  of  erudition  and 
research  and  probably  had  means  of  obtaining  information  with 


104 


MAIOLICA. 


which  we  are  unacquainted ; we  think  therefore  that  as  his  state- 
ments have  not  yet  been  met  by  proofs  of  their  incorrectness,  or 
by  counter-statements  of  greater  weight,  we  are  bound  to  accept 
them  until  additional  light  be  thrown  upon  the  subject.  He  tells 
us  that  remains  of  antique  furnaces  and  .ruins  of  a vase  shop  of 
classic  times,  with  fragments  of  red  and  black  wares  and  lamps 
marked  with  the  letter  G,  were  found  in  the  locality  known  as  the 
“ Gabbice  ” where  the  Lanfranchi  works  were  afterwards  estab- 
lished in  the  i6th  century,  and  where  the  earth  is  of  fine  quality. 
He  traces  the  use  of  this  earth  in  the  time  of  the  Goths,  and  states 
that  it  again  revived  under  the  government  of  the  Malatesta ; and 
that  soon  afterwards  a mode  of  adorning  churches  was  adopted 
by  the  insertion  of  discs  of  earthenware  at  first  simply  glazed 
with  the  oxide  of  lead,  but  that  coloured  ones  were  subsequently 
used. 

The  wares  were  made  by  covering  the  crude  baked  clay  with  a 
slip  or  engobe  of  white  earth,  the  terra  di  San  GiovannV^  from 
Siena,  or  with  that  of  Verona,  and  glazing  it  with  marzacotto^^ 
a mixture  of  oxide  of  lead,  sand  and  potash.  The  colours  used 
were  yellow,  green,  manganese  black,  and  cobalt  blue  (from  the 

zaffara  ” of  the  Levant).  During  the  government  of  the  Sforza 
the  manufacture  greatly  developed  and  was  protected,  for  on  ist 
April  i486  a decree  was  made  prohibiting  the  introduction  of 
earthenwares  for  sale  from  other  parts,  except  the  jars  for  oil  and 
water.  This  was  confirmed  in  1508.  In  1510  a document 
enumerates  “ MaioUca  ” as  one  of  the  trades  of  Pesaro,  naming 
also  ^^Jigoli^'*  “ msaiy’  and  “ boccalari ; ” and  we  must  bear  in 
mind  that  there  is  good  reason  for  believing  that  at  that  period 
“ Maiolica  ” was  a name  technically  understood  as  applying  only 
to  the  lustred  wares. 

Passeri  states  that  about  1450  the  invetriatura^'‘  or  glazing 
had  already  begun  to  perfect  itself  under  the  Sforza,  when  those 
early  pieces  were  produced  decorated  with  arabesque  ” borders 
encircling  coats  of  arms,  portraits,  and  ideal  heads  outlined  with 


MAJOLICA. 


105 

manganese  and  coloured  with  the  “ madreperla  ” lustre,  leaving  the 
flesh  white.  He  ascribes  the  improvement  in  the  manufacture  by 
the  use  of  the  stanniferous  glaze  to  the  discovery  of  the  Della 
Robbia,  and  adds  that,  although  the.  art  of  making  it  was  known 


earlier  at  Florence,  the  fine  ware  was  only  introduced  at  Pesaro 
about  1500  : near  which  period  the  beautiful  portrait  dish  which 
we  engrave  (no.  4078  at  Kensington)  was  probably  made.  Here 
he  again  says  that  the  lustred  ware  derived  its  name  from  the 
pottery  of  Maiolica,  and  that  the  earlier  and  coarser  varieties 
were  known  as  Mezza-maiolicaJ  Guid’ Ubaldo  II.  greatly  en- 
couraged the  art,  and  in  1552  granted  to  Bernardin  Gagliardino, 
Girolamo  Lanfranchi,  Ranaldo  and  others  an  edict  prohibiting 
the  importation  of  other  wares  for  sale,  thus  confirming  the  former 


io6 


MAIOLICA. 


acts,  which  would  appear  to  have  fallen  into  neglect : and  in  the 
year  1562,  on  the  ist  of  June,  he  granted  another,  confirming  to 
Giacomo  Lanfranco  a protection  of  his  art  or  patent  for  apply- 
ing real  geld  to  his  wares. 

Passeri  then  (after  some  further  historical  details)  describes 
examples  of  the  glazed  and  enamelled  pottery  of  Pesaro  which  he 
had  seen,  and  the  earliest  he  refers  to  are  floorings  of  tiles  existing 
in  his  time,  upon  one  of  which,  brought  to  him  by  a workman. 


was  inscribed 


adi  4 de  Genar 
o . in  Pesaro. 


and  on  the  other 


1502. 


A considerable  period  elapses  between  this  and  the  next  dated 
example,  a plate,  with  the  subject  of  Horatius  Codes,  inscribed, — 

Orazio  solo  contro  Toscana  tutta. 

Fatio  in  Pesaro.  1541. 

On  another  (a  companion  of  a plate  preserved  in  the  Louvre), 

/ Pianetto  di  Marie 

fatto  in  Pesaro  1542 

in  bottega  da  Mastro  Gironiino  Vasaro.  IP. 

He  further  mentions  a plate  having  a mark  consisting  of  the 
initials  O A connected  by  a cross,  and  a bas-relief  with  the  same 
initials  which  again  occur  sculptured  over  a door,  which  he 
suggests  may  have  been  that  of  the  potter’s  house;  we  should, 
however,  be  more  disposed  to  regard  it  as  a conventual  or 
cathedral  monogram. 

We  will  now  leave  the  work  of  Passeri  and  quote  another 
record  of  the  pottery  made  at  Pesaro  a short  time  before  the 
1 6th  century,  returning  to  him  for  information  on  the  revival  of 
the  art  at  that  locality  in  the  last. 

Dennistoun  in  his  history  of  the  dukes  of  Urbino  (vol.  3,  p.  38S) 


MAJOLICA, 


107 


refers  to  a letter  among  the  diplomatic  archives  of  the  duchy 
preserved  at  Florence  dated  1474,  from  pope  Sextus  IV.  in 
which  he  thanks  Costanzo  Sforza,  lord  of  Pesaro,  for  a present  of 


most  elegantly  wrought  earthen  vases  which  for  the  donor’s  sake 
are  prized  as  much  as  gold  or  silver  instead  of  earthenware.  An- 
other letter  from  Lorenzo  the  magnificent  to  Roberto  Malatesta 
of  Pesaro,  thanking  him  for  a similar  present,  says,  ‘‘they  please 
me  entirely  by  their  perfection  and  rarity,  being  quite  novelties  in 
these  parts,  and  are  valued  more  than  if  of  silver,  the  donor’s  arms 


io8 


MAIOLICA. 


serving  daily  to  recall ’their  origin.”  There  is  every  reason  for 
assuming  that  both  these  presents  consisted  of  wares  produced  at 
the  Pesaro  furnaces. 

These  wares  must  have  been  looked  upon  as  novelties  ” at 
Florence,  not  simply  because  they  were  painted  on  flat  surfaces 
covered  with  stanniferous  glaze  (for  Luca  della  Robbia  had  done 
this  many  years  before)  but  because,  being  decorated  with  rich 
metallic  glaze  and  madreperla  lustre,  they  probably  were  novelties 
to  the  Florentines  as  productions  of  an  Italian  pottery.  If  this 
inference  be  correct,  may  not  another  be  drawn  from  it  ? That 
these  presents  being  the  produce  of  Pesaro,  and  enriched  with 
the  metallic  lustre,  we  may  derive  from  the  whole  matter  an 
additional  proof  that  the  early  lustred  pieces,  whose  origin  has 
been  disputed,  v/ere  really  made  at  that  city ; and  that  we  may 
agree  with  Passeri  in  ascribing  the  well-known  ‘‘  bacili  ” to  that 
place.  Engraved  p.  107  is  a fine  lustred  Imcile  at  South  Ken- 
sington, probably  of  Pesaro  ware,  and  about  the  year  1510. 

The  earliest  dated  Pesaro  piece  is  in  the  possession  of  the  writer. 
It  is  a fruitiera^'  on  which  is  painted  the  creation  of  animals  by 
the  Almighty,  Who,  moving  in  the  midst,  is  surrounded  by  animals 
rising  out  of  the  ground ; a distant  landscape,  with  a tovm  (!)  on 
the  side  of  a steep  mountain,  forms  the  background. 

On  the  reverse  is  inscribed  as  in  the  woodcut  on  the  next  page, 

1540. 

Chrianite  anim 
allis  CJnnsttus 
fatto  in  Pesaro. 

We  have  seen  some  large  dishes  decorated  with  raised  masks, 
strapwork,  &c.  and  painted  with  grotesques  on  a white  ground, 
and  subject  panels,  and  other  grandiose  pieces  which  are  ascribed 
to  the  Urbino  artists,  but  which  may  in  equal  likelihood  be  attri- 
buted to  the  Lanfranchi  of  Pesaro.  A triangular  plateau  in  the 


MAJOLICA, 


109 

possession  of  Mrs.  Hope  has  the  character  of  their  finest  produc- 
tions. 

The  art  at  Pesaro  rapidly  declined  after  1560,  wanting  the 
encouragement  of  a reigning  ducal  court ; and  Passeri  ascribes 


much  evil  influence  to  what  he  considers  the  bad  taste  of  pre- 
ferring the  unmeaning  designs  of  the  oriental  porcelain,  which 
was  greatly  prized  by  the  wealthy,  and  the  painting  after  the 
prints  of  the  later  German  school  of  Sadder,  &c.  to  the  grander 
works  of  the  old  masters;  the  landscapes  were,  however,  well 
executed.  He  gives  us  also  a history  of  the  revival  of  the 
manufacture  in  his  own  time,  under  the  influence  and  encourage- 
ment of  the  cardinal  prelate  Ludovico  Merlini.  In  1718  there 
was  only  one  potter  at  Pesaro,  Alfonzo  Marzi,  who  produced  the 
most  ordinary  wares.  In  1757  signor  Giuseppe  Bertolucci,  an 
accomplished  ceramist  of  Urbania,  in  conjunction  with  signor 
Francesco  di  Fattori,  engaged  workmen  and  artists  and  com- 
menced a fabrique,  but  it  was  soon  abandoned.  Again  in  1763 
signors  Antonio  Casali  and  Filippo  Antonio  Caligari,  both  of 
Lodi,  came  to  Pesaro  and  were  joined  by  Pietro  Lei  da  Sassuolo 
of  Modena,  an  able  painter  on  Maiolica;  they  established  a 


no 


MAJOLICA, 


fabrique  producing  wares  of  great  excellence  hardly  to  be  dis- 
tinguished from  the  Chinese.  In  the  Debruge-Labarte  collection 
was  a one-handled  jug  or  pot,  painted  with  flowers  in  white 
medallions  on  a blue  ground,  and  on  the  foot  engraven  in  the 
paste — 

Pesaro  1771.” 

A manufacture  at  present  exists  of  painted  tiles  for  pavement, 
removed  to  Pesaro  from  Urbania,  and  which  at  one  time  produced 
vases  and  plates  in  the  manner  of  the  Urbino  istoriati  pieces  as 
also  lustred  wares  after  the  style  of  M.  Giorgio.  It  has,  we  are 
informed,  ceased  making  these  imitations  and  now  confines  itself 
to  the  first-named  class  of  goods. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Gubbio  and  Castel  Durante. 

Although  probably  not  among  the  earliest  manufactories  or 
boteghe  of  Italian  enamelled  and  painted  wares,  Gubbio  un- 
doubtedly holds  one  of  the  most  prominent  positions  in  the 
history  and  development  of  the  potter’s  art  in  the  i6th 
century.  This  small  town,  seated  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
Apennines,  was  then  incorporated  in  the  territory  of  the  dukes  of 
Urbino  under  whose  influence  and  enlightened  patronage  the 
artist  potters  of  the  duchy  received  the  greatest  encouragement ; 
and  were  thus  enabled  to  produce  the  beautiful  works  of  which 
so  many  examples  have  descended  to  us.  Chiefly  under  the 
direction  of  one  man,  it  would  seem  that  the  produce  of  the 
Gubbio  furnaces  was  for  the  most  part  of  a special  nature; 
namely,  a decoration  of  the  pieces  with  the  lustre  pigments, 
producing  those  brilliant  metallic  ruby,  golden,  and  opalescent 
tints  which  vary  in  every  piece,  and  which  assume  almost  every 
colour  of  the  rainbow  as  they  reflect  the  light  directed  at  varying 
angles  upon  their  surface.  The  woodcut  (p.  112)  represents  a vase 
of  great  interest  and  beauty ; no.  500  in  the  South  Kensington 
collection.  It  is  early  in  date;  probably  about  1500.  The 
admirable  way  in  which  the  moulded  ornament  is  arranged  to 
show  the  full  effect  of  the  lustre,  and  the  bold  yet  harmonious 
design  are  worthy  of  observation.  That  the  Gubbio  ware  was 
of  a special  nature,  and  produced  only  at  a few  fabriques  almost 
exclusively  devoted  to  that  class  of  decoration,  is  to  be  reasonably 
inferred  from  Piccolpasso’s  statement;  who  speaking  of  the 


II2 


MAJOLICA. 


application  of  the  maiolica  pigments  says,  Non  ch'  io  ne  abbia 
mai  fatto  ne  men  veduio  fare'’’  He  was  the  maestro  of  an  im- 
portant botega  at  Castel  Durante,  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
productive  of  the  Umbrian  manufactories,  within  a few  miles  also 


of  those  of  Urbino,  with  which  he  must  have  been  intimately 
acquainted  and  in  frequent  correspondence.  That  he,  in  the 
middle  of  the  i6th  century,  when  all  these  works  were  at  the 
highest  period  of  their  development,  should  be  able  to  state 
that  he  had  not  only  never  applied  or  even  witnessed  the  process 
of  application  of  these  lustrous  enrichments  is,  we  think,  a con- 
vincing proof  that  they  were  never  adopted  at  either  of  those  seats 
of  the  manufacture  of  enamelled  pottery.  Although  much  modified 
and  improved,  lustre  colours  were  not  invented  by  Italian  artists, 
but  were  derived  from  the  potters  of  the  east,  probably  from  the 
Moors  of  Sicily,  of  Spain,  or  of  Majorca.  Hence  (we  once  more 
repeat)  the  name  “Majolica”  was  originally  applied  only  to 
wares  having  the  lustre  enrichment  j but  since  the  decline  of  the 


MAJOLICA, 


113 

manufacture,  the  term  has  been  more  generally  given  : all  varieties 
of  Italian  enamelled  pottery  being  usually,  though  wrongly,  known 
as  “ Maiolica.” 

The  Gubbio  fabrique  was  in  full  work  previous  to  1518;  and 


the  brilliantly  lustred  dish,  which  we  engrave,  now  at  South 
Kensington  is  before  that  date.  That  some  of  these  early  bacili 
so  well  known  and  apparently  the  work  of  one  artist  were  made 
at  Pesaro,  whence  the  secret  and  probably  the  artist  passed  to 
Gubbio,  is  far  from  improbable.  The  reason  for  this  emigration 
is  not  known,  but  it  may  be  surmised  that  the  large  quantity 


MAIOLICA. 


114 

of  broom  and  other  brush-wood,  necessary  for  the  reducing 
process  of  the  reverberatory  furnace  in  which  this  lustre  was 
produced,  might  have  been  more  abundantly  supplied  by  the 
hills  of  Gubbio  than  in  the  vicinity  of  the  larger  city  on  the  coast. 
That  the  process  of  producing  these  metallic  effects  was  costly,  we 
gather  from  Piccolpasso’s  statement  that  sometimes  not  more 
than  six  pieces  out  of  a hundred  succeeded  in  the  firing. 

The  fame  of  the  Gubbio  wares  is  associated  almost  entirely 
with  one  name,  that  of  Giorgio  Andreoli.  We  learn  from  the 
marchese  Brancaleoni  that  this  artist  was  the  son  of  Pietro,  of  a 
‘‘Gastello”  called  “Judeo,”  in  the  diocese  of  Pavia;  and  that, 
accompanied  by  his  brother  Salimbene,  he  went  to  Gubbio  in  the 
second  half  of  the  15th  century.  He  appears  to  have  left  and 
again  returned  thither  in  1492,  accompanied  by  his  younger 
brother  Giovanni.  They  were  enrolled  as  citizens  on  the  23rd 
May  1498,  on  pain  of  forfeiting  500  ducats  if  they  left  the  city  in 
which  they  engaged  to  continue  practising  their  ceramic  art. 
Patronised  by  the  dukes  of  Urbino,  Giorgio  was  made  “ Castel- 
lano ” of  Gubbio.  Passeri  states  that  the  family  was  noble  in 
Pavia.  It  is  not  known  why  or  when  he  was  created  a 
“ Maestro,”  a title  prized  even  more  than  nobility,  but  it  is  to  be 
presumed  that  it  took  place  at  the  time  of  his  enrolment  as  a 
citizen ; his  name  with  the  title  “ Maestro  ” first  appearing  on  a 
document  dated  that  same  year,'  1498.  Piccolpasso  states  that 
Maiolica  painters  were  considered  noble  by  profession.  The 
family  of  Andreoli  and  the  “ Casa  ” still  exist  in  Gubbio,  and  it 
was  asserted  by  his  descendant  Girolamo  Andreoli,  who  died 
some  40  years  since,  that  political  motives  induced  their  emigra- 
tion from  Pavia. 

Maestro  Giorgio  was  an  artist  by  profession,  not  only  as  a 
draughtsman  but  as  a modeller,  and  being  familiar  with  the 
enamelled  terra  cottas  of  Luca  della  Robbia  is  said  to  have 
executed  with  his  own  hands  and  in  their  manner  large  altar- 
pieces.  We  were  once  disposed  to  think  that  great  confusion 


MAJOLICA. 


existed  in  respect  to  these  altar-pieces  in  rilievo,  and  were 
inclined  to  the  belief  that  although  some  of  the  smaller  lustred 
works  may  have  been  modelled  by  Giorgio  the  larger  altar-pieces 
were  really  only  imported  by  him.  Judging  from  the  most 
important  which  we  have  been  able  to  examine,  the  ‘‘  Madonna 
del  Rosario  ” portions  of  which  are  in  the  museum  at  Frankfort- 
on-the-Maine,  it  seemed  to  approach  more  nearly  to  the  work  of 
some  member  of  the  Della  Robbia  family.  This  fine  work  is  in 
part  glazed,  and  in  part  coloured  in  distemper  on  the  unglazed 
terra  cotta,  in  which  respect  it  precisely  agrees  with  works  known 
to  have  been  executed  by  Andrea  della  Robbia  assisted  by  his 
sons.  There  are  no  signs  of  the  application  of  the  lustre  colours 
to  any  portion  of  the  work,  but  this  might  be  accounted  for  by 
the  great  risk  of  failure  in  the  firing,  particularly  to  pieces  of  such 
large  size  and  in  high  relief.  Be  this  as  it  may,  from  a further 
consideration  of  the  style  of  this  work  and  the  record  of  others, 
some  of  which  are  heightened  with  the  lustre  colours,  and  the  fact 
stated  by  the  marchese  Brancaleoni  that  a receipt  for  an  altar- 
piece  is  still  preserved  in  the  archives  of  Gubbio,  we  are  inclined 
to  think  that  history  must  be  correct  in  attributing  these  important 
works  in  ceramic  sculpture  to  Giorgio  Andreoli.  If  they  were 
his  unassisted  work,  he  deserves  as  high  a place  among  the  modellers 
of  his  period  as  he  is  acknowledged  to  have  among  artistic  potters. 

To  go  back  twelve  years  in  the  history  of  the  products  of  this 
fabrique,  we  have  in  the  South  Kensington  museum  a very 
interesting  example  of  a work  in  rilievo,  no.  2601,  a figure  of  S. 
Sebastian,  lustred  with  the  gold  and  ruby  pigments,  and  dated 
1501.  Notwithstanding  its  inferiority  of  modelling  when  com- 
pared with  later  works,  we  are  in  little  doubt  that  this  is  by 
Giorgio’s  own  hand,  agreeing  as  it  does  in  the  manner  of  its 
painted  outline  and  shading  with  the  treatment  of  subjects  on  the 
earlier  dishes,  believed  to  be  by  him.  We  must  also  bear  in 
mind  that  an  interval  of  twelve  years  had  elapsed  between  this 
comparatively  crude  work,  and  that  beautiful  altar-piece  whose 


ii6 


MAIOLICA. 


excellence  causes  us  some  doubt  in  ascribing  it  to  his  unaided 
hand;  and  we  may  observe  at  the  same  time  an  equal  difference 


MAJOLICA, 


an  the  merit  of  his  own  painted  pieces.  The  small  bowl  here 
engraved  is  of  about  this  period,  and  is  characteristic  of  a style  of 


'Ornament  commonly  found  upon  Gubbio  ware.  This  is  now  at 
.South  Kensington.  We  add  also  another  piece,  no.  8906  ; well 
worth  the  attention  of  a student,  as  exhibiting  the  full  power 


attainable  by  the  introduction  of  the  lustre  tints.  The  yellow  has 
a full  rich  golden  tone,  and  the  ruby  a pure  vivid  red. 

Passeri  states  that  Giorgio  brought  the  secret  of  the  ruby  lustre 


ii8 


MAJOLICA. 


with  him  from  Pavia,  and  M.  Jacquemart  infers  that  he  must  have- 
produced  works  at  Pavia  before  going  to  Gubbio;  but  we  are 
inclined  to  think  with  Mr.  Robinson  that  it  was  from  an  artist 
previously  working  at  Gubbio  that  he  acquired  the  art  and 
the  monopoly  of  the  ruby  tint ; and  it  is  by  no  means  improbable 
that  this  artist,  or  his  predecessor,  may  have  emigrated  from 
Pesaro  as  stated  above.  The  following  conclusions  arrived  at  by 
Mr.  Robinson  after  the  careful  study  of  a vast  number  of 
examples  of  the  Gubbio  and  other  works  are  endorsed  by  the 
writer,  who,  having  contributed  some  few  of  the  facts  upon  which 
those  conclusions  were  based,  has  himself  examined  the  contents 
of  the  principal  European  collections.  Those  conclusions  are  : — 

I St.  That  maestro  Giorgio  did  not  invent  the  ruby  lustre,  but 
succeeded  to  and  monopolized  the  use  of  a pigment, 
used  by  an  earlier  artist  of  Gubbio. 

2d.  That  the  signed  works  were  really  painted  by  several 
distinct  hands. 

3d.  That  his  own  work  may  be  distinguished  with  approxi- 
mate certainty. 

4th.  That  probably  nearly  all  the  istoriati  ” pieces  (1530-50) 
of  Urbino,  Castel  Durante,  or  other  fabriques,  en- 
riched with  lustre,  were  so  decorated  by  a subsequent 
operation  at  the  Giorgio  botega ; and, 

5th.  Consequently,  the  use  of  lustre  colours  was  mainly 
confined  to  Gubbio,  where  painted  wares  by  Xanto 
and  other  artists  working  at  Urbino  and  other  places- 
were  sent  to  be  lustred. 

Before  entering  upon  the  subject  of  maestro  Giorgio’s  own 
works  it  will  be  necessary  to  glance  at  the  earlier  productions  of 
his  predecessors  and  probable  instructors.  In  the  absence  of 
more  positive  evidence  of  the  manufacture  of  early  lustred  wares 
at  Pesaro,  and  with  a view  to  keeping  all  the  lustred  wares  to- 
gether as  much  as  possible,  we  have  thought  it  more  convenient. 


MAJOLICA, 


119 

to  include  in  the  large  catalogue  those  pieces  which  may  probably 
have  been  made  at  that  city  among  the  lustred  wares  of  Gubbio, 
always  affixing  to  each  such  piece  the  name  of  Pesaro  and  of 
Gubbio  with  a {?),  and  arranging  them  as  a separate  class.  And 
in  order  to  facilitate  the  methodical  study  of  the  rise  and 
development  of  the  art  at  Gubbio  we  have  classified  the  lustred 
wares  in  the  following  manner,  and  in  probable  sequence  of 
date  : — 

A.  Works  ascribed  to  Pesaro  (or  Gubbio  ? ),  the  typical 

“ bacili  ” referred  to  by  Passeri,  &c. 

B.  Works  believed  of  the  early  master  who  preceded 

Giorgio  at  Gubbio. 

C.  Works  ascribed  to  maestro  Giorgio’s  own  hand. 

D.  Works  of  the  fabrique,  and  pieces  painted  by  unknown 

artists,  though  bearing  the  initials  of  the  master. 

E.  Works  by  the  artist  signing  N.  and  by  his  assistants. 

F.  Works  painted  by  other  artists  at  other  fabriques,  and 

subsequently  lustred  at  Gubbio. 

G.  Works  of  M°  Prestino,  and  of  the  later  period. 

Of  the  first  class  A.  are  those  early  ‘‘mezza-maiolica  ” dishes 
having  a lustre  of  a peculiar  pearly  effect  : these  are  frequently 
painted  with  portraits  and  armorial  bearings,  and  have  by  many 
\vriters  been  ascribed  to  the  Diruta  potteries.  At  South  Ken- 
sington, no.  7160  is  a characteristic  example  of  the  usual  type, 
while  in  no.  1606  we  have  an  early  specimen  of  the  ruby  lustre.^ 
On  the  back  of  no.  3035  is  found  the  only  mark  with  Avhich  I am 
acquainted  on  pieces  of  this  class ; the  well-known  Gubbio  scroll 
executed  in  manganese  colour  on  the  course  yellow  glaze. 

Class  B.  is  important  as  connecting  the  former  with  the  works 
of  the  Gubbio  furnaces.  No  7682  is  a typical  piece,  bearing 
another  variety  of  the  Gubbio  scroll  mark  in  dark  colour. 

Class  C.  contains  of  course  the  cream  of  the  manufacture, 
being  the  works  assigned  to  Giorgio’s  own  hand.  The 


120 


MAJOLICA. 


museum  series  is  very  complete,  containing  specimens  from  the 
earliest  period  of  his  unsigned  work.  The  deep  tazza  and  large 
plateau,  both  of  which  we  engrave,  are  admirable  examples  of 
this  period.  The  first  dated  piece  in  any  collection  which  we 
have  every  reason  to  believe  a work  of  maestro  Giorgio,  is  the 


rilievo  of  S.  Sebastian  (shown  in  the  woodcut,  p.  ii6).  Other 
but  undated  works  in  rilievo  exist,  which,  as  in  this  instance,  are 
heightened  with  the  gold  and  ruby  pigments.  The  earliest 
example  having  a mark  which  may  perhaps  be  that  of  Giorgio, 
and  painted  by  him,  is  a small  plate  in  the  possession  of  Mon- 
signore  Cajani;  a central  medallion  with  half  figure  of  S.  Pe- 
tronio,  surrounded  by  a border  of  the  style  of  the  early  wares, 
beautifully  and  carefully  drawn  and  lustred  with  ruby  and  gold ; 


MAJOLICA. 


121 


it  is  marked  at  the  back  with  a sort  of  G,  intersected  by  a cross 
and  a paraphe,  or  flourish  : see  p.  122. 

We  now  come  to  the  period  of  Giorgio’s  signed  pieces,  some  of 
the  first  of  which  show  to  what  perfection  he  had  brought  his  art. 


The  earliest  known  signed  and  dated  piece  is  in  the  collection  of 
Mr.  Robert  Napier;  the  border  is  decorated  with  trophies,  &c. 
among  which  occurs  the  date  1517  written  in  blue,  while  at  the 
back  1518  is  pencilled  in  lustre  colours.  Another  plate  of  the 
same  service  and  having  the  same  initials  of  the  owrjer,  a piece  ot 
exceeding  beauty  for  the  quality  of  the  lustre  colours,  is  in  the 


122 


MAJOLICA. 


British  museum ; we  give  (p.  123)  a facsimile  of  the  central  initials 
and  of  the  date  on  the  back  : and  also  a woodcut  (p.  124),  from 
a small  tazza  at  South  Kensington  of  about  the  same  period. 


Mr.  Robinson  speaks  of  this  specimen  as  ‘‘being  of  the  most 
perfect  technique  of  the  master ; and  that,  although  he  was  not 
a powerful  draughtsman,  yet  this  single  piece  would  suffice  to 
establish  his  claims  as  a colourist.” 

Giorgio’s  manner  of  decoration  consists  of  foliated  scrolls  and 
other  ornaments  terminating  in  dolphins,  eagles,  and  human 
heads,  trophies,  masks,  &c. ; in  the  drawing  of  which  he  exhibited 
considerable  power  with  great  facility  of  invention.  These 
“ grotesche  ” differ  materially  from  those  of  Urbino  and  Faenza, 
approaching  more  to  the  style  of  some  of  the  Castel  Durante 
designs.  In  the  drawing  of  figures,  and  of  the  nude,  Giorgio 
cannot  be  ranked  as  an  artist  of  the  first  class.  From  1519  his 
signature,  greatly  varied,  occurs  through  succeeding  years.  It 
would  be  useless  to  repeat  the  many  varieties,  several  of  which  will 
be  seen  in  the  large  catalogue  and  among  the  marks  on  speci- 
mens in  other  collections.  We  believe  that  to  whim  or  accident 
may  be  ascribed  those  changes  that  have  tasked  the  ingenuity  of 
connoisseurs  to  read  as  other  names.  His  finer  and  more  im- 
portant pieces  were  generally  signed  in  full  “ Maestro  Giorgio  da 
Ugubio  ” with  the  year,  and  sometimes  the  day  of  the  month. 


MAJOLICA. 


123; 


About  the  year  1525  he  executed  some  of  his  most  beautiful 
works ; perhaps  the  finest  large  dish,  and  of  the  highest  quality 
which  has  been  preserved  to  us,  was  lately  in  the  possession  of 
the  baronne  de  Parpart ; we  understand  that  it  has  been  sold  for 


^880.  In  that  piece  a rich  grotesque  border  surrounds  the 
subject  of  Diana  and  her  nymphs,  surprised  by  Act^eon ; on  p.  125 
is  a fac-simile,  half  size,  of  the  signature  at  the  back. 

In  the  next  division  D.  are  the  works  of  the  fabrique  under 
Giorgio’s  direction,  and  pieces  which  though  manifestly  painted 
by  other  hands  are  signed  in  lustre  with  his  initials  or  full  signa- 


MAIOLICA. 


124 

ture.  We  have  no  means  of  learning  what  part  his  brothers  under- 
took in  the  manufactory.  A separate  division  has  also  been  formed 
of  the  works  ascribed  to  or  signed  by  the  artist  who  used  the 
letter  N,  variously  formed,  as  his  monogram.  Mr.  Robinson  has 
ingeniously  suggested  that  this  letter,  containing  as  it  does  the 


three,  V I and  N,  may  really  have  been  adopted  by  Vincenzio,’^ 
the  only  one  of  his  sons  known  to  have  assisted.  He  succeeded 
Giorgio  in  the  fabrique,  where  he  was  generally  known  as  M® 
Cencio.  Brancaleoni  states  that  he  worked  with  his  father  till  1536, 
when  he  married  and  set  up  for  himself.  There  is  little  doubt 
1;hat  although  M°  Giorgio  may  himself  have  occasionally  applied 
the  lustre  pigments  with  his  own  brush  to  the  pieces  painted  by 


MAJOLICA, 


^25 

other  artists  at  other  places,  the  majority  of  those  so  enriched 
were  executed  by  his  son  or  assistants.  M.  Darcel  thinks  that 
this  practice  did  not  begin  earlier  than  1525,  in  which  view  we 
are  inclined  to  agree. 


Under  division  F.  will  be  found  works  of  this  kind,  among  which 
the  more  interesting  at  South  Kensington  are  no.  8886,  a fine 
portrait  plate  ; 4726  having  the  painter’s  date  and  mark,  and  that 
of  him  who  lustred  it ; the  very  remarkable  plaque  520,  the  work 
of  Orazio  Fontana,  with  the  monogram  of  Giorgio ; and  the  small 
plate  8907,  dated  in  lustre  colour  as  late  as  1549. 

The  last  division  G.  contains  works  ascribed  to  him,  and 
examples  of  the  decadence  of  the  lustred  wares. 

Before  closing  our  observations  on  the  splendid  products  of  this 
abundant  pottery,  we  will  refer  to  several  marks  which  occur  on 
pieces  in  all  probability  made  and  painted  there  but  some  of  which 
we  are  unable  to  explain.  A plate  with  bust  portrait  of  a warrior. 


MAJOLICA. 


3 26 

ill  the  collection  of  M.  Meurnier,  of  Paris,  having  four  coats  of 
.arms  on  the  border  and  the  letters  Y.  A.  E.,  is  inscribed  on  the 
face  with  the  name  Gabriel . da  . Gubbio.”  This  doubtless  is  a 
portrait  plate,  and  the  letters  may  allude  to  the  families  or  indi- 
viduals whose  arms  are  blazoned.  Gualdo  ” is  said  to  be  in- 
scribed on  a brilliantly  lustred  specimen  which  we  have  failed  to 
trace,  and  pieces  in  the  Louvre  have  been  doubtingly  classed 
under  that  name  by  M.  Darcel.  A man’s  head,  rudely  sketched 
in  lustre  colours,  occurs  on  the  back  of  a plate  in  the  British 
museum,  more  probably  an  artist’s  whim  than  an  intentional  mark. 
The  letters  MR  combined  occur  on  a lustred  piece,  perhaps  a 
monogram  of  M.  Prestino.  The  letter  P,  variously  formed,  may 
also  probably  be  his  initial. 

About  1560-70  the  use  of  the  lustre  pigments  would  seem  to 
have  been  almost  discontinued ; the  secret  of  their  proper  com- 
position and  manipulation  was  lost  during  the  general  decline  of 
Italian  artistic  pottery,  and  the  death  of  Guid’  Ubaldo  II.  in  1574 
was  the  “ coiip-de-grace  ” to  the  already  much  deteriorated  wares 
of  the  duchy. 

Those  beautiful  colours,  known  to  the  Italians  as  “ rubino,” 
cangiante,”  “ madreperla,”  ‘‘  a reverbero,”  and  to  the  French  as 
reflet  me'tallique,”  ‘‘  nacre,”  &c.  have  been  to  a certain  extent 
reproduced.  Unfortunately  many  pieces  made  in  the  manufactory 
at  Doccia  have,  after  chipping  and  scratching,  been  palmed  upon 
unwary  amateurs  as  ancient  specimens  by  unprincipled  dealers  at 
Florence  and  elsewhere.  Some  of  these  modern  examples  are  in 
the  ceramic  gallery  at  South  Kensington.  The  most  successful 
reproduction  of  the  famous  lustre  has  however  been  made  at 
Gubbio  itself  by  an  able  young  chemist  and  artist,  Luigi  Carocci. 
Some  of  his  productions  are  excellent,  though  far  from  having 
those  artistic  qualities  so  apparent  in  the  finer  specimens  of 
maestro  Giorgio’s  work. 

Although  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  Castel  Durante  was 
one  of  the  earliest  sites  of  the  manufacture  of  enamelled  pottery 


MAJOLICA. 


127 


in  Italy,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  fruitful  not  only  of  produce 
but  of  those  potters  who  in  their  own  city,  and  at  other  establish- 
ments founded  by  them  in  various  parts  of  Italy,  spread  the  fame 
of  the  Durantine  wares  and  the  Duranline  artists  throughout 
Europe,  it  is  remarkable  that  so  few  pieces  have  descended  to  us, 
upon  which  the  names  of  their  authors  are  recorded,  or  of  the 
boteghe  ” in  which  they  were  produced.  Long  lists  are  given 
by  Raffaelli  and  other  writers,  but  to  identify  the  works  of  their 
hands  is  generally  denied  us,  from  the  absence  of  signed  examples 
by  which  their  style  can  be  known. 

From  Castel  Durante  came  the  Pelliparii  who  on  establishing 
themselves  at  the  capital  city  of  the  duchy  took  the  name  of 
Fontana,  to  which  is  attached  some  of  the  greatest  triumphs  of 
their  art.  “ Francesco,”  the  able  painter  who  probably  worked  at 
Urbino  and  afterwards  at  Monte  Bagnolo  near  Perugia,  was  as  he 
styled  himself  Durantino.”  A new  life  seems  to  have  been  given 
to  artistic  pottery  in  Venice  by  the  immigration  of  a Durantine 
artist  Francesco  del  Vasaro  in  1545  ; and  even  later  in  the  history, 
when  the  independence  of  the  duchy  was  oppressed  and  local 
patronage  had  waned,  another  potter,  Diomede  Durante,  tried 
his  fortune  at  Rome.  Others  went  to  France,  Flanders,  and  Corfu, 
spreading  the  art  which  attained  important  development  at  Nevers, 
at  Lyons,  and  other  French  centres. 

Castel  Durante,  which  rose  from  the  ruins  of  Castel  Ripense  in 
the  thirteenth  century,  took  the  appellation  of  Urbania  under  the 
reign  and  in  compliment  to  her  native  Pope,  Urban  VIII.  It  is 
now  a small  dull  town  on  the  banks  of  the  Metauro,  on  the  post- 
road  from  Urbino  to  Borgo  San  Sepolcro,  and  about  thirteen 
Italian  miles  distant  from  the  former  city.  The  alluvial  banks  and 
deposits  of  the  river  furnished  the  material  for  her  pottery. 

Signor  Raffaelli,  in  his  valuable  Memorie,”  surmises  that  the 
manufacture  of  glazed  pottery,  as  an  art,  was  introduced  at  the 
time  vv^hen  monsignor  Durante  built  a “ Castello  ” at  the  badia  of 
St.  Cristoforo  at  Cerreto  on  the  Metauro,  in  1284,  as  a place  of 


128 


MAJOLICA. 


security  for  the  Guelphs.  Seventy  years  afterwards  in  1361  the 
then  deceased  maestro  Giovanni  dai  Bistugi  of  Castel  Durante  is 
referred  to,  who  probably  was  so  named  to  distinguish  him  from 
the  workers  in  glazed  ware.  This  glazed  ware  was  doubtless  the 
ordinary  lead  glazed  pottery  or  “ mezza  ” ware,  which  preceded 
the  use  of  that  with  stanniferous  enamel  and  does  not,  as  M. 
Darcel  would  suggest,  afford  any  proof  that  the  use  of  this  enamel 
was  known  here  before  its  application  or  stated  discoveiy  by 
Luca  della  Robbia.  At  that  time  even  these  lead  glazed  wares 
were  little  known,  and  it  was  not  till  1300  that  they  seem  to  have 
become  more  generally  adopted.  Thenceforward  their  manufac- 
ture continued,  for  in  1364  a work  is  mentioned  on  the  bank  of 
the  torrent  Maltempo  at  Pozzarelli,”  perhaps  so  named  from  the 
pits  dug  for  extracting  the  loam.  The  early  wares  were  coarse, 
painted  with  coats  of  arms  and  half  figures,  the  flesh  being  left 
white  and  the  dress  in  gay  colours.  In  1500  both  the  “mezza”" 
and  the  enamelled  wares,  as  well  as  the  “ sgrafifo  ” work,  were 
made.  The  beautiful  “ amatoria  ” plate  which  we  engrave  was 
about  this  date,  and  shows  the  beginning  of  a style  of  decoration 
which  afterwards  prevailed  in  a more  developed  form  at  this 
fabrique.  The  manufacture  was  at  its  perfection  about  1525  and 
1530,  and  continued  to  produce  good  wares  even  till  1580.  It 
would  appear  that  the  great  artists  only  painted  the  more  im- 
portant subject  of  the  piece,  leaving  the  ornamentation  to  be 
finished  by  the  pupils  and  assistants. 

Piccolpasso  informs  us  that  the  earth  or  loam  gathered  on  the 
banks  of  the  Metauro,  near  Castel  Durante,  is  of  superior  quality 
for  the  manufacture  of  pottery.  A variety  called  “celestrina” 
was  used  for  making  the  seggers,  “ astucci,”  when  mixed  with  the 
“terra  rossa but  for  the  finer  class  of  work  the  loam  deposited 
by  the  river  which  when  washed  was  called  “bianco  allattato,” 
and  when  of  a blue  shade  of  colour,  was  reserved  for  the  more 
important  pieces.  The  turnings  of  this  variety  mixed  with  the 
shavings  of  woollen  cloth  were  used  to  attach  the  handles  and 


MAIOLICA. 


129 


other  moulded  ornaments,  and  was  known  as  “barbatina.”  The 
red  pigment  of  Faenza,  called  vergiliotto  ” was  not  used  at 
Castel  Durante.  We  presume  this  colour  to  be  that  ochreous  red 
employed  for  heightening  and  shading  the  draperies,  &c.  by  the 
painters  of  the  Fontana  fabrique  at  Urbino,  and  that  of  Lanfranco 


at  Pesaro,  and  some  others  ; if  so,  the  absence  or  presence  of  it 
would  be  useful  as  evidence  in  determining  the  origin  of  a piece. 

Signor  Raffaelli  thinks  that  many  of  the  wares  generally  known 
as  of  Urbino  were  so  called  from  the  province,  and  frequently 
included  those  which  were  really  the  produce  of  Castel  Durante. 
Passeri  also  speaks  in  high  commendation  of  the  Durantine  wares, 
and  Pozzi  states  that  it  was  the  rival  of  and  only  second  to 


K 


130 


MAJOLICA. 


Faenza  in  the  quality  of  its  productions.  The  fatal  blow  to  this 
branch  of  industry  was  the  death  of  the  last  duke,  Francesco 
Maria  II.  in  1631,  when  there  being  no  longer  a court  the  trade 
declined,  money  became  scarce,  and  the  artists  emigrated. 

Of  signed  examples  of  the  wares  of  Castel  Durante,  the  earliest 
piece  known  is  the  beautiful  bowl  belonging  to  Mrs.  H.  T.  Hopei 
which  was  exhibited  in  the  Loan  collection.  The  ground  of  this 
piece  is  of  an  intense  dark  and  rich  blue,  entirely  covered  with  a 
decoration  of  grotesques,  among  which  occurs  a shield  of  arms 
of  the  Della  Rovere  family  surmounted  by  the  papal  tiara  and 
the  keys,  proving  it  to  have  been  made  for  pope  Julius  II.; 
trophies  of  books,  festoons  of  drapery  and,  above,  a boy  angel 
holding  a ‘‘  veronica  ” or  napkin  impressed  with  the  face  of  the 
Saviour.  At  the  sides  other  trophies,  satyrs,  cupids,  and  inter- 
laced foliage  are  richly  and  harmoniously  disposed,  among  which 
are  two  labels  inscribed  respectively  Iv.  II.  Pon.  Max.”  and 
“ Ta  . cs  . sacerdos  . I eter”  “ In  the  design  and  execution  of  the 
painting,”  says  Mr.  Robinson,  in  his  catalogue  of  that  famous 
collection,  “ splendour  of  colour,  and  perfection  of  enamel  glaze, 
this  magnificent  piece  is  a triumph  of  the  art.”  On  the  same 
occasion  Mr.  Morland  exhibited  a piece  by  the  same  hand,  and 
we  think  we  recognize  variations  of  the  same  manner  in  two 
examples  nowin  the  South  Kensington  museum,  nos.  1728  and 
1735- 

In  the  rich  and  even  quality  of  the  glaze,  the  tendency  to  that 
form  of  decoration  known  as  ‘‘ a candeliere  ” (as  in  the  vase 
engraved),  mixed  grotesques,  trophies  of  musical  instruments, 
and  cupids,  in  a style  of  painting  which  is  free  and  at  the  same 
time  firm  and  sure,  and  in  the  full  yet  soft  colouring,  we  see  in 
Mrs.  Hope’s  bowl  a commencement  of  what  became  a very 
general  manner  in  the  decoration  of  the  Durantine  wares. 

Of  eleven  years  later  we  have  the  pharmacy  jars  which  must 
have  formed  portions  of  a large  and  important  service,  one  of 
which  is  in  the  British  museum  and  another  in  the  South  Kensing- 


MAJOLICA. 


131 

ton.  The  signature  on  the  British  museum  jar  states,  JVe  la  bofega 
(V  Sehastiano  I Marforla,’’ and  A di  xi  de  Octohre  fece 
and  again  at  the  base,  Castel  dural  On  p.  132  is  a woodcut 


of  a mark  in  yellow,  on  a plate  in  the  same  museum,  on  which  is 
the  subject  of  Dido  and  Ascanius. 

It  would  seem  that  this  fabrique  continued  to  flourish  when 
those  of  Urbino  and  Pesaro  had  comparatively  decayed ; this  may 
partly  have  been  owing  to  the  encouragement  given  by  the  duke 
Francesco  Maria  II.  (1574  to  1631),  who  frequentlyresided  at 
Castel  Durante  and  took  some  interest  in  the  manufacture.  It 


K 2 


132 


MAJOLICA. 


however  only  produced  at  this  period  works  of  more  general 
utility,  artistic  and  ornamental  pieces  being  the  exception. 

The  wares  of  Castel  Durante  are  generally  to  be  recognised  by 
a pale  buff  coloured  paste,  and  great  richness  and  purity  of  the 


glaze.  The  plates  (of  which  we  give  three  woodcuts,  from 
examples  at  South  Kensington,  nos.  8947,  8960,  and  413)  are 
rarely  decorated  at  the  back,  but  like  those  of  Urbino  and  Pesaro 
are  generally  edged  with  yellow  on  the  subject  pieces,  and  with 
grey  white  on  those  having  grotesques,  which  are  in  low  olive  tint 
on  a blue  ground.  The  colours  are  sometimes  rather  pale  but 
harmonious  and  the  carnations  are  of  an  olive  tint,  thought  by 
some  a distinguishing  mark  of  the  fabrique;  while  the  absence  of 
the  ochreous  red  pigment  so  noticeable  on  the  Urbino  and 
Pesaro  ‘‘istoriati”  pieces  is  remarkable.  In  the  draperies  painted 
upon  these  wares  blue  and  ochreous  yellow  predominate. 
Broadly  treated  grotesques  and  trophies  of  arms,  musical  instru- 
ments, books,  &c.  frequently  painted  in  camdieu  of  greenish  grey 


MAJOLICA. 


133 


on  a blue  ground,  are  favourite  subjects  of  ornament;  these  also 


occur  painted  in  rich  colours,  among  which  a deep  clear  brown 


may  be  noted,  and  surrounding  medallions  having  portrait  or 


134 


MAJOLICA. 


fanciful  heads  on  a yellow  ground.  Subject  pieces  do  not  appear 
to  have  been  so  abundantly  painted  at  Castel  Durante  as  at  the 
neighbouring  fabriques,  and  such  pieces  to  which  the  lustre 
enrichment  has  been  added  are  still  less  frequent. 


Many  of  the  tazze  the  whole  surfaces  of  which  are  covered 
with  a portrait  head  may  probably  be  assigned  to  this  place, 
where  there  would  appear  to  have  been  one  or  two  artists  who 
made  almost  a specialty  of  this  ” style  of  decoration.  The  South 
Kensington  museum  is  rich  in  these  portrait  plates  ; among  them 
is  a remarkable  example  on  which  a likeness  of  Pietro  Perugino 
in  full  face  is  portrayed  (p.  135)  and  which  we  are  disposed  to 
assign  to  this  fabrique,  but  always  with  some  hesitation.  Another 
class  pf  pieces  which  we  believe  to  have  been  for  the  most  part 
made  at  Castel  Durante  is  that  ornamented  with  oak  branches 
painted  yellow  on  a blue  ground,  and  sometimes  in  relief,  sur- 
rounding a small  medallion  central  portrait  or  imaginary  head. 

Castel  Durante  seems  to  have  supplied  a larger  number  of 
pharmacy  jars,  vases  and  bottles,  than  any  other  fabrique  perhaps 


MAJOLICA. 


135 


with  the  exception  of  Faenza.  The  blue  and  yellow  draperies  of 
the  earlier  period  were  also  a leading  feature  in  the  revival  after 
1730,  and  a washy  green  was  also  used;  the  drawing  was  good 


and  some  of  the  landscape  pieces  excellent,  ot  careful  finish,  soft 
colouring  and  good  aerial  perspective.  It  is  veiy  probable, 
however,  that  many  pieces  of  this  period  were  really  the  produce 
of  Castelli  or  Naples. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Urbino. 

Although  not  to  be  ranked  with  the  earliest  seats  of  the 
manufacture  of  artistic  pottery  in  Italy,  there  is  no  place  so  much 
associated  with  these  beautiful  productions  of  the  potter’s  art  as 
the  small  city  of  Urbino,  whence,  indeed,  was  derived  one  of  the 
names  by  which  it  is  distinguished.  Crowning  a steep  among  the 
many  hills  of  Umbria,  remarkable  in  the  landscape  from  her 
picturesque  position  and  the  towering  palace  of  her  dukes,  Urbino 
is  one  of  those  very  curious  cities  with  which  Italy  abounds,  and 
which  centre  round  themselves  an  individual  history  of  the 
greatest  interest.  What  giants  of  art  and  of  literature  were  born 
or  nurtured  in  that  little  town  ! now  so  neglected  and  unknown. 
He  who,  climbing  the  steep  ascent  and  tortuous  narrow  streets, 
has  visited  the  deserted  halls  and  richly  decorated  cabinets  of  her 
palace,  and  has  travelled  through  the  beauteous  scenery  of  her 
neighbourhood,  to  where  the  delicious  valley  of  the  Tiber  bursts 
upon  the  sight,  will  never  forget  the  impressions  that  they  leave. 

In  proof  of  the  antiquity  of  ceramic  industry  of  a more  ordinary 
kind  in  the  vicinity  of  this  city,  Pungileoni  tells  us  that  an 
antique  amphora  was  not  long  since  discovered  in  the  grounds  of 
the  Villa  Gaisa,  hard  by  the  river  Isauro,  and  that  near  to  it  were 
also  found  remains  of  a potter’s  furnace.  This,  however,  does 
not  prove  the  early  establishment  of  a fabrique  of  glazed  or 
enamelled  decorative  wares.  Marryat  states  that  in  a register  of 
Urbino  dated  1477  Giovanni  di  Donino  Garducci  is  men- 


MAIOLICA, 


137 


tioned  as  a potter  of  that  place,  but  it  is  not  till  1501  that  any 
further  record  occurs.  In  that  year  an  assortment  of  vases, 
dishes,  &c.  were  ordered  to  be  made  for  the  use  of  the  cardinal 
di  Carpaccio,  and  among  them  are  mentioned  “ bacili  ” having 
the  arms  of  the  cardinal  in  the  centre,  and  water  boccali  ” or 
jugs  with  little  lions  on  the  covers.  The  earliest  pieces  now 
known  to  us,  which  can  with  any  certainty  be  ascribed  to  the 
potteries  of  Urbino,  are  probably  those  of  the  Gonzaga-Este 
service,  which  are  undoubtedly  the  work  of  Nicola  da  Urbino ; 
these  must  have  been  painted  between  the  period  of  the  marriage 
of  the  marquis  with  Isabella  d’  Este,  in  1490,  and  before  her 
death  in  1539. 

We  have  no  account  of  the  precise  date  at  which  the  Pellipario, 
afterwards  Fontana,  family  came  from  Castel  Durante  and  settled 
at  Urbino,  but  we  have  documentary  proof  that  “Guido  Niccolai 
Pellipario  figulo  da  Durante,”  or  “Guido,  son  of  Nicola  Pellipario, 
potter  of  Durante,”  was  established  at  Urbino  in  1520.  From 
this  period  through  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries  a 
number  of  pieces  are  dated  and  signed  by  various  artists,  or  as 
having  been  made  in  the  boteghe  of  various  maestri  of  Urbino. 

We  are  obliged  to  refer  the  reader  to  the  large  catalogue,  in 
detail,  of  the  South  Kensington  collection  of  maiolica,  for  an 
account  of  the  works  of  the  more  important  of  these  artists  under 
their  respective  names,  beginning  with  Nicola  as  the  earliest  of 
whom  we  have  known  examples  ; the  Fontana  family,  and  of 
Guido  Durantino ; the  works  of  Fra  Xanto  ; of  Francesco  Duran- 
tino ; of  the  Patanazzi ; not  omitting  those  of  other  artists  of  the 
fabrique,  of  whom  we  have  smaller  record  in  remaining  examples  or 
documentary  history.  There  seems  little  doubt  that  the  revival 
or  perhaps  the  first  introduction  of  artistic  ceramic  manufacture 
to  Urbino  was  under  the  influence  of  Guidobaldo  I.,  and  that 
many  of  the  potters  and  nearly  all  the  more  important  artists 
immigrated  from  Castel  Durante.  Long  lists  of  names  have  been 
published  by  Raffaelli,  but  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  between 


MAJOLICA. 


138 

the  more  ordinary  potters  and  the  artists,  whose  works  we  are 
unable  to  recognise  from  the  absence  of  signed  specimens.  Our 
space  here  will  allow  us  to  do  little  more  than  mention  their 
names. 

Considerable  uncertainty  exists  and  some  confusion  has  arisen 
among  connoisseurs  in  respect  to  the  works  of  the  very  able 
artist  Nicola  da  Urbino,  and  as  to  his  connection  with  the 
Fontana  family  and  fabrique  at  Urbino,  the  latter  still  a disputed 
and  undecided  question ; as  also  to  the  marks  on  various  pieces 
attributable  to  his  hand  only,  but  which  have  been  assigned  by 
M.  Jacquemart  to  the  fabrique  of  Ferrara,  and  by  other  writers  to 
various  painters  and  localities.  There  are  no  pieces  marked  or 
signed  by  this  artist  in  the  South  Kensington  museum,  but  it 
possesses  some  examples  of  his  work.  A certain  similarity  in 
some  of  his  less  careful  pieces  has  caused  them,  not  unfrequently, 
to  be  attributed  to  Xanto,  but  a closer  study  of  his  manner  will 
show  it  to  be  really  very  distinct. 

TJie  first  signed  piece  is  in  the  British  museum,  a plate,  repre- 
senting a sacrifice  to  Diana,  and  inscribed  on  the  reverse  as  in 
the  opposite  woodcut.  Comparing  this  mark  with  those  of  the 
Gonzaga-Este  service,  Mr.  Franks  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that 
they  also  were  painted  by  Nicola  in  his  most  careful  manner;  the 
clue  thus  found,  he  ingeniously  deciphered  the  monogram  on  the 
beautiful  fragment  in  the  Sauvageot  collection  painted  with  a group 
from  the  Parnassus  of  Raffaelle,  as  clearly  and  unmistakably  by 
the  same  hand. 

The  manner  of  Nicola  is  remarkable  for  a sharp  and  careful 
outline  of  the  figures,  the  features  clearly  defined  but  with  much 
delicacy  of  touch,  the  eyes,  mouth,  and  nostrils  denoted  by  a 
clear  black  spot,  the  faces  oval,  derived  from  the  Greek  model,  a 
free  use  of  yellow  and  a pale  yellow  green,  a tightening  of  the 
ankle  and  a peculiar  rounding  of  the  knee,  the  hair  and  beard  of 
the  older  heads  heightened  with  white ; the  architecture  bright 
and  distinct  ; the  landscape  background  somewhat  carefully 


MAIOLICA. 


139 


rendered  in  dark  blue  against  a golden  sky ; and  lastly,  the  stems 
of  the  trees,  strangely  tortuous,  are  coloured  brown,  strongly 
marked  with  black  lines,  as  also  are  the  rolled  up  clouds ; these 
are  treated  in  a manner  not  very  true  to  nature. 


Few  Maiolica  painters  have  produced  works  of  greater  beauty 
than  the  plates  of  the  Gonzaga-Este  service,  which  are  equally 
excellent  in  the  quality  of  glaze  and  the  brilliancy  of  colour. 

AVith  regard  to  the  Fontana  family,  chiefs  among  Italian 
ceramic  artists,  we  quote  from  the  notice  by  Mr.  Robinson 
appended  to  the  Soulages  catalogue.  He  tells  us  that  “ The 
celebrity  of  one  member  of  this  family  has  been  long  established 
by  common  consent.  Orazio  Fontana  has  always  occupied  the 
highest  place  in  the  scanty  list  of  Maiolica  artists,  although  at  the 
same  time  nothing  was  definitely  known  of  his  works.  Unlike 
their  contemporary,  Xanto,  the  Fontana  seem  but  rarely  to  have 
signed  their  productions,  and  consequently  their  reputation  as  yet 
rests  almost  entirely  on  tradition,  on  incidental  notices  in  writings 
which  date  back  to  the  age  in  which  they  flourished,  and  on  facts 


140 


MAIOLICA, 


extracted  at  a recent  period  from  local  records.  No  connected 
account  of  this  family  has  as  yet  been  attempted,  although  the 
materials  are  somewhat  less  scanty  than  usual.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  a considerable  proportion  of  the  products  of  the 
Fontana  ‘boteghe'  is  still  extant,  and  that  future  observations 
will  throw  light  on  much  that  is  now  obscure  in  the  history  of  this 
notable  race  of  industrial  artists.  Orazio  Fontana,  whose  renown 
seems  to  have  completely  eclipsed  that  of  the  other  members  of 
his  family  and  in  fact  of  all  the  other  Urbinese  artists,  is  first 
mentioned  by  Baldi,  at  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
in  his  eulogy  of  the  state  of  Urbino  pronounced  before  duke 
Francesco  Maria  II.”  “From  documents  cited  by  Raffaelli,  it  is 
established  beyond  doubt  that  the  original  family  name  was 
PelUpario^  of  Castel  Durante,  Fontana  being  an  adopted  surname ; 
and  it  is  not  immaterial  to  observe  that  down  to  the  latest 
mention  of  any  one  of  the  family  (in  1605)  they  are  invariably 
described  as  of  Castel  Durante.”  “ The  Fontana  were  un- 

doubtedly manufacturers  as  well  as  artists,  /.<?.,  they  were  the 
proprietors  of  ‘ vaserie.’  Of  the  first  Nicola,  as  we  have  only  a 
brief  incidental  notice,  nothing  positive  can  be  affirmed  ; but  with 
respect  to  his  son  Guido,  we  have  the  testimony  both  of  works 
still  extant,  and  of  contemporary  documents.  We  know  also  that 
Guido’s  son  Orazio  also  had  a manufactory  of  his  own,  and  the 
fact  is  established,  that  between  1565  and  1571  there  were  two 
distinct  Fontana  manufactories, — those  of  father  and  son.  What 
became  of  Orazio’s  establishment  after  his  death,  whether  con- 
tinued by  his  brother  Camillo,  or  reunited  to  that  of  the  father, 
there  is  no  evidence  to  show.  With  respect  to  the  remaining 
members  of  the  family,  our  information  is  of  the  scantiest  kind. 
Camillo,  who  was  inferior  in  reputation  as  a painter  only  to  his 
elder  brother,  appears  to  have  been  invited  to  Ferrara  by  duke 
Alfonso  II. , and  to  have  introduced  the  Maiolica  manufacture 
into  that  city.  Of  Nicola,  the  third  (?)  son,  we  have  only 
incidental  mention  in  a legal  document,  showing  that  he  was  alive 


MAJOLICA. 


141 

in  the  year  1570.  Guido,  son  of  Camillo,  lived  till  1605  ; and  of 
Flaminio,  who  may  either  have  been  son  of  Camillo  or  of  Nicola, 
Dennistoun’s  vague  notice  asserting  his  settlement  in  Florence  is 
all  I have  been  able  to  collect.  No  signed  pieces  of  Camillo, 
Flaminio,  Nicola  the  second,  or  Guido  the  second,  have  as  yet 
been  observed. 

‘‘A  considerable  proportion  of  the  Fontana  maiolica  is  doubtless 
still  extant ; and  it  is  desirable  to  endeavour  to  identify  the  works 
of  the  individual  members  of  the  family,  without  which  the  mere 
knowledge  of  their  existence  is  of  very  little  moment ; but  this  is 
no  easy  task  ; although  specimens  from  the  hands  of  one  or  other 
of  them  are  to  be  undoubtedly  found  in  almost  every  collection, 
the  work  of  comparison  and  collation  has  as  yet  been  scarcely 
attempted.  The  similarity  of  style  and  technical  characteristics 
of  the  several  artists  moreover,  working  as  they  did  with  the  same 
colours  on  the  same  quality  of  enamel  ground,  and  doubtless  in 
intimate  communication  with  each  other,  resolves  itself  into  such 
a strong  family  resemblance,  that  it  will  require  the  most  minute 
and  careful  observation,  unremittingly  continued,  ere  the  author- 
ship of  the  several  specimens  can  be  determined  with  anything- 
like  certainty.  The  evidence  of  signed  specimens  is  of  course 
the  most  to  be  relied  on,  and  is  indeed  indispensable  in  giving 
the  clue  to  complete  identification  in  the  first  instance ; but  in 
the  case  of  the  Fontana  family  a difficulty  presents  itself  which 
should  be  noticed  in  the  outset.  This  difficulty  arises  in  deter- 
mining the  authorship  of  the  pieces  signed  ‘ Fatto  in  botcga,’  &c. 
(S:c.  ; a mode  of  signature,  in  fact,  which  proves  very  little  in 
determining  individual  characteristics,  inasmuch  as  apparently 
nearly  all  the  works  so  inscribed  are  painted  by  other  hands  than 
that  of  the  proprietor  of  the  Vaseria.  In  cases,  however,  in 
which  the  artist  has  actually  signed  or  initialed  pieces  with  his 
own  name,  of  course  no  such  difficulty  exists,  but  the  certainty 
acquired  by  this  positive  evidence  is  as  yet  confined  in  the  case  of 
the  Fontana  family  to  their  greatest  name,  Orazio.”  We  regret 


142 


MAIOLICA. 


that  our  limits  prevent  further  quotation  from  Mr.  Robinson’s 
valuable  remarks. 

It  is  a matter  of  uncertainty  whether  Guido  Fontana  and  Guido 
Durantino  were  the  same  person  or  rival  maestri ; and  we  are 
disposed  to  the  former  opinion,  from  the  fact  that  in  the  docu- 
ments quoted  by  Pungileoni  no  other  Vasaio  ” named  Guido, 
and  • of  Castel  Durante,  is  named.  The  pieces  inscribed  as 
having  been  made  in  ‘their  boteghe  although  painted  by  different 
hands  may,  by  the  wording  of  their  inscriptions  afford  some 
explanation ; thus,  on  the  Sta.  Cecilia  plate  painted  by  Nicola,  he 


writes  in  1528,  ’‘^fata  in  botega  di  Guido  da  Gastello  d' Ur  ante  in 
Urbino,''  from  which  we  argue  a connexion  with  the  Fontana. 

Unfortunately,  we  know  no  piece  signed  as  actually  painted  by 
the  hand  of  Guido  Fontana,  but  as  he  took  that  cognomen  after 
settling  in  Urbino  it  would  be  more  probable  that  he  would 
himself  apply  it  on  his  own  work ; whereas  Nicola  (presumably 
his  father),  on  a piece  of  earlier  date,  retained  the  name  of  their 


MAIOLICA, 


143 


native  castdlo.  By  others  the  botega  would  long  be  known  as 
that  of  the  “ durantini.”  and  that  it  retained  that  appellation 


even  in  the  following  generation  is  proved  by  the  occasional 
reference  to  Orazio  Fontana  as  of  Castel  Durante.  We  give  a 
woodcut  of  an  example  of  the  highest  quality ; a pilgrim’s  bottle, 
at  South  Kensington,  no.  8408. 

The  manner  of  the  painter  of  these  pieces  approaches  very 


J44 


MAIOLICA, 


much  to  that  of  Orazio  but  is  less  refined  and  rich  in  colourinsr, 
wanting  that  harmony  and  power  of  expression  for  which  he  was 
remarkable  ; the  drawing  is  more  correct  and  careful  than  on  some 
of  Orazic’s  work,  but  is  more  dry  and  on  the  surface ; there  is 
great  force  and  movement  in  the  figures  and  the  landscape 
backgrounds  are  finished  with  much  care  and  effect,  sometimes 
covering  the  whole  piece ; the  foliage  of  the  trees  is  also  well 
rendered. 

The  celebrated  vases  made  for  the  spezieria  of  the  duke  were 
produced  at  the  Fontana  fabrique,  and  subsequently  presented  to 
the  Santa  Casa  at  Loreto  where  many  of  them  are  still  preserved. 
Those  shown  to  the  Avriter  on  his  visit  to  that  celebrated  shrine 
some  few  years  since  did  not  strike  him  as  being  of  such  extra- 
ordinary beauty  and  great  artistic  excellence,  as  the  high-flown 
eulogy  bestowed  upon  them  by  some  writers  would  have  led  him 
to  expect.  The  majority  of  the  pieces  are  drug  pots  of  a not 
unusual  form,  but  all  or  nearly  all  of  them  are  “ istoriati,”  instead 
of  being,  as  is  generally  the  case,  simply  decorated  with  trofei,’^ 
‘‘  foglie,”  “ grotesche,”  the  more  usual  and  less  costly  ornamenta- 
tion. Some  of  the  pieces  have  serpent  handles,  mask  spouts,  &c. 
but  he  vainly  looked  for  the  magnificent  vases  of  unsurpassed 
beauty,  nor  indeed  did  he  see  anything  equal  to  the  shaped 
pieces  preserved  in  the  Bargello  at  Florence.  The  work  of  the 
well-known  hands  of  the  Fontana  fabrique  is  clearly  recognisable, 
and  several  pieces  are  probably  by  Orazio.  Some,  more  im- 
portant, preserved  in  a low  press  were  finer  examples.  We  have 
said  that  the  pieces  individually  are  not  so  striking  but  taken  as 
a whole  it  is  a very  remarkable  service,  said  to  have  originally 
numbered  380  vases,  all  painted  with  subjects  after  the  designs  ot 
Battista  Franco,  Giulio  Romano,  Angelo,  and  Raffaelle ; and  as 
the  work  of  one  private  artistic  pottery  in  the  comparatively 
remote  capital  of  a small  duchy,  it  bears  no  slight  testimony  to 
the  extraordinary  development  of  every  branch  of  art-industry  in 
the  various  districts  of  Italy  during  the  sixteenth  century.  They 


MAJOLICA. 


145 


were  made  by  order  of  Giiidobaldo  II.,  but  on  the  accession  o f 
Francesco  Maria  II.  in  1574  he  found  the  financial  condition  of 
the  duchy  in  a state  so  embarrassed  that  he  was  obliged  to  devote 
less  attention  to  the  encouragement  of  art.  He  abdicated  in 
favour  of  the  Holy  See  and  died  in  1631.  The  vases  of  the 
Spezieria  were  presented  to  our  Lady  of  Loreto,  while  his  valuable 
art  collections  were  removed  to  Florence. 

On  the  vases  of  Loreto,  says  Mr.  Marryat,  ‘‘the  subjects  are 
the  four  evangelists,  the  twelve  apostles,  St.  John,  St.  Paul, 
Susannah  and  Job.  The  others  represent  incidents  in  the  Old 
Testament,  actions  of  the  Romans,  their  naval  battles  and  the 
metamorphoses  of  Ovid.  On  eighty-five  of  the  vases  are  pour- 
trayed  the  games  of  children,  each  differing  from  the  other. 
These  vases  are  highly  prized  for  their  beauty  as  well  as  for  their 
variety.  They  have  been  engraved  by  Bartoli.  A Grand  Duke 
of  Florence  was  so  desirous  of  purchasing  them,  that  he  proposed 
giving  in  exchange  a like  number  of  silver  vessels  of  equal  weight ; 
while  Christina  of  Sweden  was  known  to  say,  that  of  all  the 
treasures  of  the  Santa  Casa  she  esteemed  these  the  most.  Louis 
XIV.  is  reported  to  have  offered  for  the  four  evangelists  and  St. 
Paul  an  equal  number  of  gold  statues.” 

With  his  other  art  treasures  the  ornamental  vases  and  vessels 
of  the  credenza,  among  which  were  doubtless  some  of  the  choicest 
productions  of  the  Urbino  furnaces  made  for  Guidobaldo,  must 
have  been  in  great  part  removed  to  Florence  ; and  there  accord- 
ingly we  find  some  remarkable  specimens.  For  many  years 
neglected,  these  noble  pieces  were  placed  almost  out  of  observa- 
tion on  the  top  of  cases  which  contained  the  Etruscan  and  other 
antique  vases  in  the  gallery  of  the  Uffizi.  When  more  general 
interest  was  excited  on  the  subject  of  the  renaissance  pottery 
these  examples  were  removed  to  another  room.  They  now 
occupy  central  cases  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  Bargello,  used  as 
a museum  of  art  objects,  and  form  a magnificent  assemblage  of 
vases,  ewers,  vasques,  pilgrim’s  bottles,  and  other  shaped  pieces, 


L 


146 


MAJOLICA, 


dishes,  and  salvers,  perhaps  the  richest  that  has  descended 
collectively  to  our  days,  and  among  which  may  be  recognised  the 
works  of  all  the  more  important  ceramic  artists  of  Urbino. 

Portions  of  a magnificent  service  of  the  best  period  of  Orazio 
Fontana’s  botega  are  dispersed  in  various  collections,  as  also 
some  pieces  of  equally  rich  quality  made  after  the  same  models, 
but  which  were  probably  of  another  “credenza.”  Two  of  the 
former  were  exhibited  at  the  loan  exhibition  in  1862,  by  baron 
Anthony  de  Rothschild.  They  are  large  oval  dishes  with  raised 
medallion  centres,  and  having  the  surface,  both  internally  and 
outside,  divided  into  panels  by  raised  strapwork  springing  from 
masks,  wntli  ornamental  moulded  borders,  &c.  These  panels^ 
edged  v/itli  cartouche  ornam.ent,  are  painted  with  subjects  from 
the  Spanish  romance  of  Amadis  de  Gaul,  and  on  the  reverse  are 
inscriptions  in  that  language  corresponding  with  the  panel  illustra- 
tions. The  central  subject  is  not  of  the  same  series,  but  repre- 
sents boys  shooting  at  a target,  on  one  dish,  and  warriors  fighting, 
upon  the  other.  The  border  is  painted  with  admirable  Urbino 
grotesques  on  a brilliant  white  ground.  The  size  of  these  pieces 
is  2ft.  2 in.  by  i.8|  in. 

It  appears  that  the  Fontana  botega  was  neither  founded  nor 
maintained  although  greatly  encouraged  and  patronised  by  the 
duke  Guidobaldo,  but  was  solely  created  by  the  enterprise  and 
sustained  by  the  united  industry  of  the  family.  Orazio  died  on 
the  3rd  August  1571.  By  his  will  he  left  his  wife  400  scudi,  &c, 
and  power  to  remain  in  partnership  with  his  nephew  Flaminio, 
with  a view  to  the  benefit  of  his  only  daughter,  Virginia,  who  had 
married  into  the  Giunta  family  when  young.  We  think  there  is 
every  probability  that  the  fabrique  was  so  continued,  and  that  a 
numerous  class,  having  the  character  of  the  wares  of  the  botega 
but  of  inferior  artistic  merit  and  showing  the  general  decadence  of 
the  period,  may  with  probability  be  attributed  to  it. 

On  many  of  the  grand  pieces  of  the  Fontana  fabrique  the  work 
of  another  hand  is  seen,  which  differs  from  the  acknowledged 


MAJOLICA. 


1:47 


manner  of  Orazio.  They  are  among  the  most  decorative  pro- 
ductions of  the  factory,  large  round  dishes  with  grotesque  borders 
on  a white  ground,  shaped  pieces  similarly  decorated,  and  having 
panels  of  subject  executed  by  the  artist  in  question;  others  also 
where  the  subject  covers  the  whole  surface  of  the  dish.  We  have 
no  clue  to  the  name  of  this  able  painter,  but  we  would  venture  to 
suggest  the  great  probability  that  these  were  the  work  of  Camillo, 
who  is  said  to  have  been  an  artist  only  inferior  in  merit  to  Orazio 
himself.  In  manner  they  approach  nearly  to,  and  are  difficult  to 
distinguish  from,  the  finer  examples  of  the  Lanfranchi  fabrique  at 
Pesaro ; less  powerful  and  broad  than  the  work  of  Orazio,  and 
less  careful  in  drawing  than  those  ascribed  to  Guido,  they 
approach  the  former  in  the  blending  of  the  colours  and  rich  soft 
effect  of  surface,  while  a similar  mode  of  rendering  various 
objects,  as  stones,  water,  trees,  &c.  pervades  all  three,  with  slight 
individual  variations.  A peculiar  elongation  of  the  figures,  and 
narrowing  of  the  knee  and  ankle  joints  are  characteristics  of  this 
hand,  as  also  a transparent  golden  hue  to  the  flesh. 

We  are  almost  wholly  in  the  dark  as  to  the  clever  painters  of 
the  grotesques  on  a pure  white  ground  which  so  charmingly 
decorate  many  of  the  noblest  productions  of  Orazio’s  furnace. 
The  work  of  two  or  more  hands  is  manifest  on  various  pieces  of 
the  best  period ; one,  perhaps  the  most  able,  is  constantly  seen  on 
pieces,  the  istoriati  panels  or  interiors  of  which  are  painted  by 
Orazio  himself  or  by  the  artist  whose  works  we  have  just 
considered,  and  may,  perhaps,  also  have  been  by  the  hand  of  the 
latter,  a similar  method  of  heightening  with  small  strokes  of  red 
colour  being  observable  on  both.  Gironimo,  by  whom  we  have 
a signed  piece  in  the  South  Kensington  museum,  no.  4354,  may 
have  been  another,  but  his  manner  is  of  a somewhat  later 
character. 

Of  Nicola,  jun.,  we  know  nothing;  he  is  mentioned  in  his 
father’s  wills  made  in  1570  and  1576;  and  that  he  was  unfor- 
tunate or  improvident  would  seem  probable  from  the  fact  that  in 


L 2 


148 


MAJOLICA. 


the  deed  of  contract  between  Orazio  and  his  father  on  the 
occasion  of  his  setting  up  for  himself  in  1565  he  agrees  to  keep 
and  provide  for  Domitilla  and  Flaminio,  children  of  his  brother 
Nicola,  for  the  space  of  three  years. 

Flaminio  the  nephew,  son  of  Nicola,  continued  the  works  and 
was  a favourite  of  the  dukes  Guidobaldo  and  Francesco  Maria ; it 
is  said  that  the  latter  took  him  to  Florence  to  teach  and  aid 
pupils  studying  under  Bartolomeo  degli  Ammanati,  where  he  re- 
mained for  some  years.  Under  the  fabrique  of  CafFaggiolo  we  find 
pieces  which  may  perhaps  have  been  produced  under  the  influence 
of  this  member  of  the  family.  In  form  and  decoration  with  gro- 
tesques they  are  a poor  reminiscence  of  the  superior  works  of  an 
earlier  period. 

The  work  of  another,  a later  and  inferior  hand,  probably  of  the 
Fontana  fabrique,  is  abundant  in  collections  j his  manner  is 
between  that  of  the  Fontana  and  of  the  Patanazzi ; free  and 
effective,  but  loose  and  careless ; the  Fontana  pigments  are 
used,  and  occasionally  pieces  occur  painted  with  greater  pains. 
Many  vases  with  serpent  handles  and  other  shaped  pieces 
were  painted  by  this  hand,  of  whose  name  we  have  no  record, 
and  it  would  be  only  guessing  to  suggest  that  Guido  Fontana, 
junior,  the  son  of  Camillo,  who  died  in  1605,  may  have  been 
their  author. 

Another  important  artist  of  the  Urbino  fabrique  was  Francesco 
Xanto,  who,  like  Giorgio,  adopted  the  unusual  habit  of  signing  in 
various  forms  the  greater  number  of  the  pieces  which  he  painted. 
Although  we  cannot  but  appreciate  the  modesty,  the  “ Lamp  of 
Sacrifice,”  which  induced  so  many  of  the  earlier  and  con- 
temporary artists  of  the  highest  excellence  to  refrain  from 
attaching  their  names  to  the  works  of  their  hands,  or  at  the  most 
to  sign  a few  of  their  admirable  productions  in  monogram,  we 
must  regret  their  having  used  so  much  reserve,  and  that  in  conse- 
quence conjecture  must  take  so  large  a place  in  the  history  of  this 
branch  of  artistic  handicraft. 


MA 10 Lie  A, 


149 


We  have  little  other  information  of  this  painter  beyond  what  is 
conveyed  by  the  inscriptions  on  pieces  by  his  hand. 

His  name  is  mentioned  by  Rog.  Vincenzo  Vanni,  on  the  29th 
March  1539,  as  “Francisciis  Xatis  fictilinus  vasorum  pictor 
egregius.”  A native  of  Rovigo,  he  seems  to  have  settled  at 
Urbino  and  there  produced  all  his  works.  His  true  name, 
gathered  from  his  varied  signatures,  would  appear  to  be  Francesco 
Xanto  Avelli  da  Rovigo,  and  the  dates  of  his  signed  works  extend 
from  1530  to  1542,  although  it  is  highly  probable  that  many 
existing  undated  pieces  were  executed  before,  and  perhaps  after 
those  dates.  His  earlier  works  are  generally  more  fully  signed, 
while  many  of  the  latter  have  only  one  or  two  initial  letters. 
Works  by  Xanto  are  to  be  found  in  almost  every  collection  of  any 
note,  and  among  them  are  examples  of  high  artistic  excellence, 
although  very  many  betray  want  of  care  and  hasty  execution.  It 
appears  that  many  of  his  pieces  were  subsequently  enriched  with 
the  golden  and  ruby  lustre  colour  at  the  botega  of  M°  Giorgio, 
and  M°  N at  Gubbio ; and,  indeed,  it  was  mainly  by  the  observa- 
tion of  these,  so  distinctly  painted  arid  signed  by  Xanto  at 
Urbino,  and  to  which  the  metallic  reflet  had  been  added 
evidently  by  a subsequent  process,  that  it  was  inferred  that  the 
lustre  was  a special  enrichment  applied  at  another  fabrique  to 
works  painted  elsewhere.  Of  Xante’s  style  and  merits  as  an 
artist  Mr.  Robinson  writes  ; 

“ Xante’s  works  may  be  considered  to  represent  perfectly  the 
‘ Majoliche  istoriate,’  and  he  certainly  had  a talent  for  the 
arrangement  of  his  works  in  composition,  nearly  all  his  subjects 
being  ‘ pasticci  ’ ; the  various  figures  or  groups  introduced  being 
the  invention  of  other  artists  copied  with  adroit  variations  over 
and  over  again,  and  made  to  do  duty  in  the  most  widely  different 
characters.  As  an  original  artist,  if  indeed  he  can  be  so  con- 
sidered, he  may  be  classed  with  the  more  mannered  of  the 
scholars  of  Raffaelle.  His  designs  are  generally  from  classical  or 
mythological  subjects.  Xante’s  execution,  although  dexterous,  is 


MAJOLICA. 


150 

monotonous  and  mechanical ; his  scale  of  colouring  is  crude  and 
positive,  full  of  violent  oppositions ; the  only  merit,  if  merit  it  be, 
being  that  of  a certain  force  and  brightness  of  aspect ; in  every 
other  respect  his  colouring  is  commonplace,  not  to  say  disagree- 
able even;  blue,  crude  opaque  yellow,  and  orange  tints,  and 
bright  verdigris  green  are  the  dominant  hues,  and  are  scattered 
over  the  pieces  in  full  unbroken  masses,  the  yellow  especially 
meeting  the  eye  at  the  first  glance.  In  the  unsigned  pieces, 
before  1531,  the  glaze  is  better  and  more  transparent,  the  execu- 
tion more  delicate,  and  the  outline  more  hard  and  black  than  in 
the  later  specimens.  Some  of  Xanto’s  wares  are  profusely 
enriched  with  metallic  lustres,  including  the  beautiful  ruby  tint ; 
these  specimens,  however,  form  but  a small  per-centage  of  the 
entire  number  of  his  works  extant.  This  class  of  piece  is,  more- 
over, interesting  from  the  fact  that  the  iridescent  colours  were 
obviously  not  of  Xanto’s  own  production,  but  that  on  the 
contrary,  they  were  applied  to  his  wares  by  Giorgio,  and  the 
supposed  continuers  of  Giorgio’s  ‘ fabrique  ’ in  Gubbio.  Many 
pieces  are  extant,  which,  in  addition  to  Xanto’s  own  signature, 
nearly  always  written  in  dark  blue  or  olive  tint,  are  likewise 
signed  with  the  monagram  N of  the  Giorgio  school  in  the  lustre 
tint ; and  one  specimen  at  least  has  been  observed  which,  though 
painted  by  Xanto,  has  been  signed  in  the  lustre  tint  by  Maestro 
Giorgio  himself.” 

We  cannot  entirely  agree  with  this  somewhat  severe  judgment 
upon  his  artistic  merits. 

We  have  no  evidence  to  confirm  Passeri’s  supposition  that 
Battista  Franco  painted  pieces  and  initialled  them  with  the 
letters  B.  F.  V.  F.  That  artist  was  called  to  Urbino  in  1540,  by 
Guidobaldo  II.,  to  make  designs  for  various  pieces,,  and  these 
initials  are  on  some  of  the  vases  in  the  Spezieria  at  Loreto.  He 
returned  to  Venice  where  he  died  in  1561  ; one  of  his  cartoons 
for  a plate  is  in  the  British  museum,  and  others  are  preserved. 

Of  Francesco  Durantino,  of  Urbino,  we  know  nothing  more  • 


MAJOLICA. 


*5^ 


than  his  signed  works,  and  one  of  these  gives  rise  to  the  question 
whether  he  ought  to  be  ranked  among  the  potters  of  Urbino,  or 
as  having  a small  establishment  of  his  own  at  Bagnolo,  or  Bagnara, 
near  Perugia.  A plate  in  the  British  museum  representing  the 
meeting  of  Coriolanus  and  his  mother  is  signed  ^‘fracesco  durantino 
1544,”  as  in  the  woodcut. 


A yellow  tone  of  flesh,  flowing  drapery,  animals  (particularly 
horses)  drawn  with  great  vigour  of  action,  a fine  and  delicate 
outline,  with  careful  execution  but  occasional  weakness  of  effect 
and  a peculiar  softness  on  some  of  the  smaller  and  more  distant 
figures,  are  characteristic  of  this  artist’s  style  : the  landscapes  are 
executed  with  care  and  good  effect.  An  example  in  the  British 
museum  has,  however,  all  the  richness  of  colour  and  force  of  the 
works  of  the  Fontana. 

Guido  Merlingo  or  Merlini  or  Nerglino  seems  to  have 
been  a proprietor  of  a botega  in  Urbino,  although  his  name  does 
not  occur  as  the  actual  painter. 

In  the  Brunswick  museum  a dish  representing  Mark  Antony  is 
signed,  “ fate  in  botega  di  Guido  de  Nerglino.”  In  the  Louvre  is 
a plate,  subject  Judith  and  Holophemes,  signed  at  the  back,  “ne 
1551  fato  in  Botega  de  Guido  Merlino.” 

C/ESARE  DA  Faenza  Worked  in  his  fabrique  about  1536,  as 
proved  by  an  agreement  dated  ist  January  in  that  year,  in  which 
he  is  styled  “ Csesare  Care  Carii  Faventinus.” 


152 


MAJOLICA, 


Among  other  recorded  names  are  those  of— 

Federigo  di  Giannantonio,  ^ 

Nicolo  di  Gabriele,  C who  worked  about  1530. 

Gian  Maria  Mariana,  j 

Simone  di  Antofiio  Mariani,  about  1542. 

Rafaelle  Ciarla, 

Luca  del  fu  Bartolomeo,  about  1544,  and 

Guy,  from  Castel  Durante. 

Francesco  Silvano  had  a botega  in  Urbino,  at  which  Xanto 
worked  in  1541,  as  proved  by  the  signature  on  a plate  representing 
the  storming  of  Goleta. 

Georgio  Picchi  or  Picci  the  younger,  of  the  Durantine 
family,  painted  at  Urbino.  Pieces  signed  by  him  are  extant. 
Borders  of  Cupids  among  clouds  or  covering  the  surface  is  a 
favourite  decoration. 

. In  the  decline  of  the  Urbino  potteries  must  be  placed  the 
productions  of  the  members  of  the  Patanati  or  Patanazzi 
family.  They  do  not  appear  to  have  succeeded  to  any  of  the 
former  eminent  artists  as  masters  of  a fabrique,  but  painted  at  the 
establishment  of  Joseph  Batista  Boccione,  as  we  are  informed  by 
a signed  example.  Passeri  only  mentions  them  as  being  of  a 
noble  family  and  as  finding  their  names  inscribed  on  specimens 
which  he  instances.  One  of  these  is  at  South  Kensington ; a 
large  dish,  no.  2612,  signed  ALF  . P . F . VRBINI  . 1606. 
The  young  Vmcenzio  is  the  last  whose  name  occurs.  Passeri  cites 
a piece  by  him,  “Vincenzio  Patanazzi  da  Urbino  di  eta  d’anni 
tredici,  1620.’’ 

Another  piece  by  this  youthful  phenomenon  is  in  the  collection 
of  monsignore  Cajani  at  Rome,  representing  the  expulsion  from 
paradise.  It  is  a most  inferior  production  and  not  meritorious 
even  for  so  young  an  artist. 

With  the  exception  of  some  large  dishes  and  a few  others  the 
wares  of  Urbino,  as  a rule,  are  not  ornamented  on  the  reverse. 
The  more  usual  pieces  are  edged  with  a yellow  line  which  is 


MAJOLICA. 


153 


repeated  round  the  foot  or  central  hollow,  in  the  middle  of  which 
the  titular  inscription  or  date  is  written  in  manganese  black,  dark 
olive,  or  blue  colour.  The  paste  is  sometimes  of  a pink  hue, 
produced  by  the  colour  of  the  clay  shining  through  the  glaze,  but 
in  other  cases  of  a purer  white.  In  the  “ sopra  bianco  ” gro- 
tesques the  ground  is  rendered  unusually  white  by  an  additional 
surface  of  terra  di  Vicenza  or  hia?ico  di  Ferrara  ; the  glaze  is  of 
fine  quality  and  even  surface.  It  may  be  here  noticed  that  the 
wares  known  of  the  Lanfranco  fabrique  at  Pesaro  have  similar 
characteristics,  and  it  is  not  possible  to  distinguish  between  them. 
That  wares  of  a better  class  were  occasionally  produced  at  Urbino 
during  the  last  century  is  proved  by  a lamp  in  the  South  Ken- 
sington collection,  no.  6856;  made,  as  the  inscription  tells  us,  at 
the  Fabrica  di  Majolica  fina,  which  seems  to  have  been  established 
or  conducted  in  that  city  in  1773  by  a k'rench  artist  named  Rolet. 
We  hear  of  him  previously  at  Borgo  San  Sepolcro  in  1771,  but  all 
further  record  of  his  productions  or  his  success  is  unknown. 

We  are  not  aware  that  Urbino  at  present  produces  any  artistic 
pottery. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Eorgo  San-Sepolcro,  Diruta,  &c. 

There  is  an  example  of  the  Borgo  San-Sepolcro  ware  at 
South  Kensington,  a lamp,  formed  of  faience  of  a bluish  white 
shade,  painted  with  garlands  of  flowers,  &c.  in  colour,  on  which 
is  written  under  the  foot,  “ Citta  Borgo  S.  Sepolcro  a 6 Febraio 
1771.  Mart.  Roletus  fecit.” 

At  San  Quirico  cardinal  Chigi  established  a work  about  1714, 
inspired  with  the  idea  of  reviving  the  art  of  painting  on  faience. 
It  was  directed  by  Piezzentili,  a painter  who  had  given  some 
study  to  the  celebrated  vases  by  Orazio  Fontana.  On  his  death 
Bartolomeo  Terchi,  Feschi,  or  Ferchi,  seems  to  have  worked  at 
or  directed  the  establishment,  for  in  the  Louvre  is  a plaque 
representing  Moses  striking  the  rock,  and  signed  “ Bar  Terchi 
Romano  in  S.  QuBicoh'  We  shall  meet  with  this  wandering  artist 
also  at  Bassano.  With  other  members  of  his  family  he  seems  to 
have  worked  at  various  potteries  throughout  Italy,  and  examples 
occur  on  which  his  or  their  signatures  appear,  accompanied 
only  by  the  patronymic  Romano,^'  and  which  are  of  course 
difficult  to  assign  to  any  one  of  the  fabriques  at  which  we  know 
them  to  have  worked. 

Ferdinando  Maria  Campani  before  going  to  Siena  worked  also 
at  this  fabrique ; its  productions  were  not  sold,  but  given  as 
presents  by  the  cardinal. 

We  have  very  little  positive  information  in  respect  to  the 
fabrique  of  Diruta  in  the  Papal  States.  Alluded  to  by  Passeri 


MAJOLICA. 


155 


as  a pottery  near  Foligno  where  pieces  were  produced  remark- 
able for  the  whiteness  of  the  paste,  we  are  led  to  the  supposition 
that  he  may  have  confounded  the  wares  produced  at  other  neigh- 
bouring localities  with  those  made  at  Diruta : and  he  does  not 
inform  us  whether  it  produced  lustred  wares  or  only  those  of 
polychrome  decoration.  A few  years  since  certain  plates  came 
under  the  notice  of  collectors  inscribed  “ In  Deruta,”  the 
subjects  painted  in  blue  outline,  and  lustred  with  a brassy  golden 
colour.  Doubt  and  uncertainty  had  long  existed  as  to  the  spot 
where  the  large  ‘‘  bacili  ” and  other  pieces  of  a well-known  and 
abundant  ware,  lustred  with  a golden  pigment  of  peculiarly  pearly 
effect  in  certain  lights,  had  been  produced,  and  the  discovery  of 
these  signed  examples,  having  a somewhat  similar  metallic  enrich- 
ment, caused  connoisseurs  to  grasp  at  the,  perhaps  hasty,  con- 
clusion, that  to  Diruta  must  be  assigned  those  wares  of  earlier 
date  and  hitherto  unknown  locality,  and  that  Diruta  must  have 
possessed  a pottery  of  very  early  time  and  important  character. 
But  after  an  examination  and  comparison  of  signed  specimens, 
and  others  which  are  with  reasonable  probability  considered  to  be 
of  this  fahrique,  we  are  compelled  to  conclude  that  the  produc- 
tions of  Diruta  were  generally  inferior  to,  and  in  many  instances 
copied  or  derived  from,  those  of  the  Gubbio  or  earlier  Pesaro  types. 

Castel  di  Diruta  or  Deruta  is  a borgo  ” or  -dependency  of 
Perugia,  on  the  road  from  that  city  to  Orvieto  by  Todi.  It  is 
but  a few  miles  from  Perugia,  within  an  easy  day’s  journey  of 
Gubbio,  and  although  it  may  be  reasonable  to  presume  that 
potteries  existed  there  from  an  early  period,  we  think  it  more 
probable  that  they  derived  the  use  of  the  lustre  pigments  from 
Gubbio. 

It  is  extremely  difficult  in  many  instances  to  decide  with  any 
degree  of  certainty  as  to  whether  some  individual  early  specimens 
of  the  lustred  ware  alluded  to  above,  be  of  Pesaro,  of  Gubbio,  or 
of  Diruta  workmanship.  We  have  little  hesitation  in  assigning  the 
dish  in  the  next  woodcut  to  Diruta ; the  dance  of  Cupids  is  after 


MAIOLICA. 


156 

Marc  Antonio.  The  similarity  of  the  process  necessary  to  such 
productions  entails  a corresponding  similarity  of  result,  but  we 
notice  a somewhat  coarser  grounding,  a golden  reflet  of  a brassy 
character,  a ruby,  when  it  (rarely)  occurs,  of  pale  dull  quality, 


looser  outlines  of  a colder  and  heavier  blue,  and  in  the  pieces  not 
lustred  the  same  tones  of  colour,  a dark  blue  approaching  to  that 
of  Catfaggiolo  in  depth  but  wanting  its  brilliancy,  the  use  of  a 
bright  yellow  to  heighten  the  figures  in  grotesques,  &c.  in  imita- 
tion of  the  golden  lustre,  and  a thin  green.  The  drawing  is 
generally  of  an  inferior  stamp,  and  a certain  tout  ensemble  per- 


MAJOLICA. 


157 


vades  the  pieces  difficult  to  define  but  which  more  or  less 
prevails. 

The  discovery  within  the  last  few  years  of  a fine  work,  signed 
with  the  artist’s  monogram,  the  date  1527,  and  the  place  at  which 


it  was  painted,  is  all  we  know  of  the  existence  of  a botega  at 
Fabriano.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  many  such  local 
and  individual  furnaces  existed  during  the  sixteenth  century 
under  the  direction  of  ceramic  artists,  in  many  instances  an 
emigrant  from  one  of  the  more  important  centres,  and  encouraged 
to  set  up  for  himself  at  another  city  by  the  patronage  of  the  lead- 


MAJOLICA. 


15S 

ing  families.  This  plate,  which  has  for  subject  the  Madonna 
della  Scala^’  after  Marc  Antonio’s  engraving  from  Raffaelle,  is 
cleverly  painted,  and  on  the  reverse  is  the  inscription  of  which 
we  have  given  a facsimile.  It  was  exhibited  by  M.  Spitzer,  ot 
Paris,  at  the  Exposition  Universelle,”  was  purchased  from  him 
by  signor  Alff°.  Castellani,  and  subsequently  sold  at  Christie’s  for 
£11^,  Another  example  by  the  same  hand,  and  with  the  same 
subject  but  without  signature,  was  sold  at  the  same  sale. 

In  the  museum  of  Economic  geology  is  a plate  of  the  same 
botega,  having  for  subject  the  rape  of  Proserpine  surrounding  a 
cupid  centre.  It  is  painted  in  grisaille,  the  sky  warmed  with 
touches  of  yellow,  and  ably  executed.  This  fabrique  not  being 
then  known  it  was  ascribed  to  Urbino,  but  the  monogram  on  the 
reverse,  exactly  corresponding  with  that  on  the  signed  Fabriano 
piece,  proves  it  to  be  of  the  same  origin.  We  also  give  this 
mark  in  fac-simile. 


The  pottery  of  Viterbo  is  not  recorded  by  any  writer,  but  an 
inferior  work  at  South  Kensington  is  inscribed  with  the  name  of 
the  city  and  with  that  of  Diomeo,  who  was  perhaps  the  painter 
of  the  piece  in  1544.  It  is  a rough  piece,  rudely  coloured  and 
ill-drawn,  but  interesting  from  the  name  of  place  and  the  date. 


MAJOLICA. 


159 


We  give  an  engraving  of  a portion  of  the  border,  the  hand  of  a 
youth  holding  a scroll.  Two  other  examples  are  with  some 
doubt  referred  to  the  same  locality. 


Loreto  is  named  in  connexion  with  the  set  of  Spezieria  vases,, 
of  the  fabrique  of  Orazio  Fontana,  which  were  presented  to  the 
shrine  of  our  Lady  of  Loreto  by  the  last  duke  of  Urbino,  on  his 
abdication  in  favour  of  the  Holy  See.  It  was  the  habit  to  collect 
the  dust  gathered  from  the  walls  of  the  Santa  Casa  and  the  dress 
of  the  Virgin,  from  which,  mixed  in  small  quantities  with  the 
potter  s clay,  cups  or  bowls  were  formed  and  painted  with  figures 
of  the  Virgin  and  Child,  generally  on  a yellow  ground.  These 
cups  were  inscribed  outside  CON  • POL  * DI  * S * CASA  (with 
the  dust  of  the  Holy  House).  Occasionally,  but  less  frequently, 


i6o 


MAJOLICA. 


some  of  the  holy  water  from  the  shrine  was  sprinkled  on  the  dust, 
thereby  to  impart  a still  greater  sanctity.  A cup  so  made  is  in  the 
writer’s  collection,  and  is  inscribed  CON  * POL  * ET  • AQVA  • 
DI  * S * CASA  (with  dust  and  water  of  the  Holy  House).  These 
cups  were  probably  presented  as  marks  of  favour  to  pilgrims  who 
had  visited  and  probably  enriched  the  sanctuary.  Signor  Ralfaelli 
believes  that  they  were  made  at  Castel  Durante,  for  the  establish- 
ment at  Loreto.  The  seal  of  the  convent  was  affixed  to  them  in 
red  wax. 

Hitherto  we  have  no  published  record  of  the  former  existence 
of  a manufactory  of  artistic  enamelled  pottery  at  Rome,  that  great 
centre  to  which  by  her  affluence  and  power  at  various  periods  of 
history  artists  and  objects  of  art  have  been  drawn  from  their 
native  countries.  We  have  no  assurance  that  purely  native 
Roman  art  ever  attained  to  any  very  high  degree  of  excellence. 
The  Etruscans  and  the  Greeks  in  Pagan  times,  the  Byzantine 
school  of  the  middle  ages,  and  at  the  period  of  the  renaissance  the 
great  Tuscan  and  Venetian  artists  worked  in  Rome  upon  those 
monuments  of  genius  of  which  she  is  so  justly  proud;  but  they 
are  possessions  rather  than  native  productions ; and  it  would 
appear  that  even  in  so  comparatively  small  a branch  of  artistic 
manufacture  she  was  indebted  to  a native  of  Castel  Durante  for 
the  establishment  of  a fabrique  of  maiolica.  Had  there  been  pre- 
existing furnaces,  producing  wares  of  artistic  merit,  it  would 
hardly  have  been  worth  while  for  Diomede  on  the  fall  of  the 
dukedom  of  Urbino  to  bring  his  art  to  Rome.  There  is  no 
notice  of  any  pieces  of  this  ware  inscribed  as  having  been  made 
at  Rome  until  the  year  1600,  when  we  find  on  two  oviform 
pharmacy  vases  of  good  outline,  having  each  a pair  of  double 
serpent  handles  and  a domed  cover  surmounted  by  a knob,  the 
following  inscriptions  written  on  oval  labels.  On  one  vase 
“Fatto  in  botega  de  M.  Diomede  Durante  in  Roma,”  and  on 
the  other,  of  which  we  give  a woodcut,  Fatto  in  Roma  da  Gio. 
Pavlo  Savino  M.D.C.”  These  vases  are  decorated  on  one  side 


MAJOLICA. 


i6i 


with  grotesques  ably  sketched  in  yellow,  greyish  blue,  and  orange 
colours  on  a white  enamel  ground  of  considerable  purity  ; on  the 
other,  a leafage  diaper  in  the  same  tone  of  blue  covers  the  like 
ground.  On  one  only,  immediately  above  the  inscribed  oval,  the 
head  of  a buffalo  is  painted  in  dark  blue,  approaching  to  black,  and 
may  refer  to  the  locality  of  the  botega,  possibly  in  the  vicinity 


FATTO 

ROMA’ 

GIO= 

MTOC 


of  the  Via  or  Palazzo  del  Bufalo.  These  vases  were  for  many 
years  in  the  possession  of  the  Gaetani  family,  and  were  purchased 
by  the  writer  during  his  sojourn  at  Rome  in  the  early  part  of 
1870.  The  style  of  execution  is  in  the  manner  of  the  Urbino 
grotesque  decoration  of  the  Fontana  fabrique,  but  has  not  that 
delicacy,  combined  with  artistic  freedom  and  naivete,  so  remark- 
able in  the  productions  attributed  to  Camillo  Fontana  and  other 
contemporary  artists  working  some  fifty  years  before ; in  certain 
respects  they  have  affinity  to  the  work  of  M.  Gironimo  of  Urbino. 
Numerous  examples  of  similar  general  character,  but  later  in  date 
and  of  inferior  execution,  are  frequently  to  be  met  with  in  the 
shops  at  Rome  and  prove  the  production  to  have  been  abundant  j 
specimens  are  in  the  South  Kensington  museum. 

A manufacture  of  white  glazed  earthenware,  as  also  of 
biscuit  ” porcelain,  was  introduced  by  the  famous  engraver 


M 


i62 


MAIOLICA, 


Giovanni  Voipato,  of  Venice,  in  the  year  1790.  He  expended  a 
large  sum  of  money  in  making  experiments  and  in  the  founding 
of  the  works,  as  also  in  procuring  numerous  models  which  were 
executed  with  the  greatest  care  from  the  antique,  and  from  other 
objects  in  museums,  &c.  as  also  from  the  works  of  Canova.  At 
one  time  no  less  than  twenty  experienced  artists  were  employed 
in  modelling  the  ‘‘biscuit  ” porcelain  to  supply  the  great  demand. 
Large  furnaces  were  constructed,  but  the  great  expense  and  risk 
in  the  production  of  pieces  for  table  use  necessitated  their  sale  at 
a price  which  could  not  compete  with  the  French  wares,  although 
superior  in  the  qualities  of  strength  and  resistance.  The  estab- 
lishment continued  until  about  1832,  when  the  works  ceased. 

The  figures  and  groups  in  “ biscuit  ” porcelain,  of  pure  white 
and  stone  colour  (variations  arising  from  the  different  degrees  of 
heat  to  which  they  were  exposed  in  the  oven)  were  undoubtedly 
the  more  important  artistic  productions  of  the  Roman  fabrique ; 
but  glazed  pottery,  very  similar  in  character  to  that  of  Leeds  or 
the  “ Queen’s  ware  ” of  the  Wedgwoods  and  known  as  “ terraglia 
verniciata,”  was  also  made,  and  in  this  material  statuettes,  figures 
of  animals,  candelabra,  vases,  and  portrait  busts  were  modelled. 
There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  finer  examples  were  produced 
at  the  period  when  the  elder  Volpato  perfected  the  establishment, 
and  when  his  critical  and  artistic  eye  directed  his  modellers,  and 
many  of  the  figures  and  groups  are  admirable  for  their  grace  and 
careful  execution.  Few  bear  any  mark,  but  occasionally  pieces, 
both  of  the  “biscuit”  and  glazed  ware,  bear  the  name  G * 
VoLPATA  * Roma  • impressed  in  the  clay. 

A manufacture  of  coarse  glazed  pottery  rudely  ornamented 
with  figures,  flowers,  fruit,  &c.  in  colour,  still  exists  in  the 
Trastevere,  which  supplies  the  contadini  and  the  humbler  classes 
of  the  city  with  pots  and  pans  of  various  form  and  startling 
decoration. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Faenza. 

That  long  and  rather  monotonous  old  post  road  the  Via 
zEmilia  (now  run  sidelong  by  the  rail)  which  forms  almost  a 
straight  line  from  Piacenza  to  Ancona,  through  one  of  the  richest 
countries  in  the  world,  after  passing  the  fine  cities  of  Parma, 
Reggio,  Modena,  and  Bologna,  reaches  Faenza  and  Forli, 
important  and  early  centres  of  the  potter’s  art. 

Faenza  is  a small  dull  town  on  the  site  of  the  Roman  Faventia, 
and  of  the  antiquity  of  the  ceramic  industry  at  this  site  there  can 
be  no  doubt,  although  perhaps  Pesaro,  Caffaggiolo,  and  Castel 
Durante  may  have  nearly  equal  claims  in  that  respect.  Of  its 
-extent  and  importance  there  is  equal  certainty,  and  there  is  more- 
over great  reason  to  believe  that  the  French  word  faience  applied 
to  this  class  of  pottery  was  derived  from  the  name  of  the  place ; 
although  there  is  another  claimant  in  the  small  town,  under  the 
Estrelle  mountains,  a short  way  from  Cannes  and  Grasse,  called 
by  the  very  name,  Faiance  {Faventia),  and  now  chef-lien  of  a 
canton  in  Draguignan  of  the  Var.  Mezerai,  in  his  Grande 
Histoire^  tells  us  that  this  place  was  chiefly  renowned  for  its 
Vaissclles  de  tenr^  and  there  would  seem  to  be  good  evidence  of 
the  existence  of  its  potteries  from  a very  early  period  to  the 
X>resent  day  j but  of  what  degree  of  artistic  merit  we  are 
unable  to  decide ; neither  can  we  feel  assured  that  the  name,  as 
applied  to  enamelled  earthenware,  was  derived  from  the  French 
town  and  not  from  the  Italian  city.  In  Mr.  Marryat’s  history  of 


M 2 


164 


MAIOLICA. 


pottery  and  porcelain  is  an  interesting  notice  on  this  subject^ 
from  which  we  quote  a few  words.  Faience,  Fayence,  or 
Fayance,  is  the  old  French  term,  under  which  were  comprised  all 
descriptions  of  glazed  earthenware,  even  inclusive  of  porcelain, 
and,  to  a certain  extent,  continues  so,  corresponding  in  its  general 
use  to  the  English  word  crockery.  The  name  is  commonly 
supposed  to  be  derived  from  Faenza  ; but  it  may  well  be  doubted 
whether  upon  any  authority  much  to  be  relied  upon,  since  neither 
historians  nor  topographers  seem  to  have  considered  the  matter 
worthy  of  their  attention  or  examination.  It  might  be  useful  tO' 
trace  the  origin  of  a name  so  frequently  given  by  the  Romans  to 
their  settlements.  Besides  Faenza  there  was  a district  in  their 
colony  of  Barcinum  (now  Barcelona),  and  another  in  Andalusia, 
which  is  supposed  to  have  been  situated  somewhere  between 
Alcala,  Real,  and  Antequera.  The  old  word  Fayence,  from  the 
Latin  ‘fagus,’  a beech  tree,  has  become  almost  obsolete  in 
France.  In  Geneva,  however,  to  the  present  day,  beechwood  is 
still  sold  in  the  timber  markets  as  ‘ de  la  fayence.’  ” 

The  fabrique  of  Faenza  has  been  a kind  of  refuge,  among 
amateurs,  for  pieces  destitute  of  sufficient  outward  sign  to  mark 
them  as  of  other  localities ; and  every  gaunt  and  early  piece, 
strong  in  blue  and  yellow  colour,  has  been  set  down  as  Faentine. 
We  agree  with  MM.  Jacquemart  and  Darcel  in  the  belief  that 
many  works  of  Caffaggiolo  have  been  classed  as  of  Faenza.  We 
are,  however,  not  convinced  that  the  plaque  in  the  hotel  Cluny,. 
the  piece  bearing  the  most  ancient  date  hitherto  discovered  (if  we 
except  that  at  Sevres,  inscribed  xxxxiiiiiiii.,  and  supposed  to  read 
1448),  inscribed  in  early  characters  around  the  sacred  monogram, 
‘^NICOLAUS  DE  RAGNOLIS  AD  HONOREM  DEI  ET 
SANCTI  MICHAELIS  FECIT  FIERI  ANO  1475  ” is  rightly 
attributed  to  Caffaggiolo  instead  of  to  Faenza.  Another  plaque 
in  the  Sevres  collection  is  dated  1477,  with  the  name  and  arms  of 
NICOLAVS  * ORSINI.  We  next  arrive  at  the  exquisite 
service,  of  which  seventeen  pieces  are  preserved  in  the  Correr 


MAJOLICA. 


165 


amiseum  at  Venice,  one  in  the  writer’s  (from  Pourtales),  and  one 
in  the  South  Kensington  collection ; we  give  a woodcut  of  the 
mark,  with  the  date  1482. 


The  first  published  matter  bearing  upon  the  wares  of  Faenza  is 
the  passage  by  Garzoni  in  the  Piazza  Universale,  a publication  of 
1485,  in  which  he  speaks  of  the  pottery  of  this  place  as  excellent 
for  its  whiteness,  &c.  die  fa  le  majoliehe  cost  bianche  e polite,  a 
remark  borne  out  by  the  quality  of  the  service  just  referred  to.  In 
the  church  of  St.  Petronio  at  Bologna  is  a pavement  of  tiles 
■covering  the  ground  of  the  chapel  of  St.  Sebastian,  and  without 
doubt  laid  down  at  the  expense  of  Donato  Vaselli,  a canon  of 
■that  Basilica,  who  about  1487  decorated  that  chapel  at  his  own 
cost.  The  date  upon  one  of  these  tiles  is  1487,  and  upon  others 
are  inscriptions,  in  parts  unfortunately  imperfect  from  the  injury 
or  misplacement  of  some  of  the  squares,  but  which  as  put 
itogether  by  signor  Frati  of  that  city,  would  read  BOLOQNIESVS 
* BETINI  • FECIT  : while  upon  other  tiles  occur  : — 


5AL0 

MOKE 


C . . ELIA  - BE  I . ZETILA  • BE  XABETA  * BE 
F . . . TICIE  ' . FAVETCIE  FAVENTCIE 


MAJOLICA. 


1 66 

und  again  upon  another  a small  label  inscribed  PETRVS*' 
• ANDRE  • DEFAVE.  Whatever  doubt  may  attach  to  the 
Eaentine  origin  of  the  plaque  in  the  hotel  Cluny,  dated  1475,. 
there  can  be  none  in  respect  to  the  pavement  of  San  Petronio  : 
the  fact  of  the  name  Petrus  Andre-de-Fave  occurring,  independent 
of  the  others,  upon  a piccolo  cartello  seems  to  us  an  indisputable 
proof  to  that  effect.  It  is  painted  with  great  skill,  in  a style  of 
colouring  and  with  ornaments  which  we  are  accustomed  to 
attribute  to  Faenza;  trophies,  animals,  heads,  the  arms  of 
Bologna  and  her  motto,  the  keys  of  St.  Peter,  and  various  devices 
are  represented;  among' them  the  silver  case  of  lancets  on  a 
green  field,  and  the  wounded  vein,  vnprcse  of  the  Manfredi  family 
of  Faenza. 

Referring  the  reader  to  the  full  explanation  given  in  the  intro- 
duction to  the  large  catalogue  of  Maiolica,  we  can  give  here  only 
a few  brief  remarks  upon  the  wares  attributed  to  Faenza  under 
the  following  heads  : — 

A.  The  produce  of  the  Casa  Pirota. 

B.  By  Baldasara  Manara. 

C.  Pieces  by  the  painter  of  the  Correr  service,  and  of  his 

botega. 

D.  By  other  artists  presumably  of  Faenza. 

E.  Wares  of  the  last  century  and  modern. 

A.  One  of  the  most  important  if  not  the  leading  establishment 
at  Faenza  was  known  under  the  name  of  the  Casa  Pirota,  and 
probably  existed  from  an  early  period,  but  when  and  by  whom 
founded,  and  the  name  of  its  maestro,  we  have  yet  to  learn.  A 
house  on  the  north  side  of  the  principal  street  (where  a pottery 
was  working  some  few  years  since,  at  which  we  have  seen  well- 
executed  reproductions  of  the  old  wares)  was  stated  by  the 
proprietors  to  be  on  the  site  of  that  ancient  botega,  but  whether 
there  is  sufficient  foundation  for  this  statement  we  are  unable 
to  say. 

The  greater  part  or  nearly  all  the  pieces  known  to  us  as  being 


MAJOLICA. 


167 


marked  with  the  crossed  circle,  signed  with  the  name  of  the 
house,  or  executed  by  the  same  hands  as  such  pieces,  are  of  a 
marked  character  of  decoration ; the  wide  borders  are  generally 


ornamented  with  grotesques,  reserved  in  white  and  shaded  with  a 
brownish  yellow ; or  reserved  in  a paler  greyish  tone  heightened 
with  white,  on  a dark  blue  ground.  A hcrdtino  and  sop'a  azzuro 
are  the  terms  applied  to  this  mode  of 
decoration,  and  among  examples  of 
the  former  and  perhaps  earlier  of 
the  styles,  are  works  of  the  highest 
quality  of  enamelled  pottery  and  of  • 
admirable  decoration  and  artistic 
painting.  The  woodcut  is  from  a 
good  plate  of  about  1520;  at  South 
Kensington,  no.  1734;  and  we  give  also  a copy  of  the  mark  on 
the  reverse. 

The  work  of  at  least  three  painters  is  discernible  upon  the 
wares  of  this  establishment.  First  and  foremost  are  those 
charming  pieces  of  the  greatest  technical  excellence  by  the 


i68 


MAJOLICA. 


painter  of  the  shallow  bowl  at  South  Kensington,  no.  354,  which 
is  marked  at  the  back  with  the  crossed  circle,  having  a pellet  in 
one  of  the  quarters,  and  has  for  subject,  Mutius  Scaevola.  By 
him  are  other  pieces  similarly  shaped  and  decorated  with  borders 
of  grotesques  reserved  in  white,  shaded  in  brownish  yellow  on 
the  blue  ground,  and  central  subjects  painted  in  a similar  tone. 


We  next  have  the  author  of  the  fine  plateau,  no.  7158,  and  of 
the  better  examples  of  those  abundant  pieces  having  central 
subjects  painted  in  a greenish  yellow  tone  on  the  herettino,  or 
coats  of  arms  emblazoned,  and  wide  borders  covered  with 
grotesques  in  a lighter  tone  heightened  with  white  on  the  dark 
blue  ground.  This  artist  also  ventured  into  bolder  subjects  upon 


MAjOLICA. 


169 


plaques  of  considerable  size,  two  of  which,  one  representing  the 
Adoration  of  the  Magi,  are  in  the  British  museum  ; over  a portico 
which  forms  a background  to  the  composition,  the  crossed  circle  and 
pellet,  mark  of  the  fabrique,  and  the  date  1527  are  inscribed,  while 
on  the  reverse  is  a yellow  roundel  between  the  letters  B.  B.  F.  F. 
and  the  same  date.  Rather  earlier,  is  the  plate  (in  the  woodcut 
p.  168)  which  although  by  some  attributed  to  Caffaggiolo,  is 
probably  of  Faenza.  The  richly  decorated  back  leads  to  this 
'Conclusion. 

Not  to  be  confounded  with  these  masters,  the  last  of  whom  by 
way  of  distinction  is  known  among  amateurs  as  the  ‘‘green  man,” 
are  works  by  a more  able  artist  who  painted  in  colours  of  the 
richest  tone  with  admirable  disposition  and  vigorous  design,  and 
who  also  signed  with  the  same  initials.  The  finely  treated 
subject  of  the  Gathering  of  the  Manna,  on  the  plate  no.  7680,  is 
by  this  hand,  whose  works  are  neither  ornamented  at  the  back, 
nor  signed  with  the  mark  of  the  fabrique. 


B.  The  first  notice  we  have  of  Baldasara  ^lanara  occurs  in 
Zanfs  “ Enciclopedia  Metodica,”  in  which  work,  under  the  name 
of  Mannaj'a,  he  refers  to  the  signature  of  the  artist  upon  a sctfa 


170 


MAIOLICA. 


coppa  with  the  accompanying  mark.  This  tazza,  now  in  the 
possession  of  the  writer,  is  perhaps  the  most  important  signed 
example  known,  and  represents  the  triumph  of  Time ; it  is  one  of 
a service  decorated  with  orange  scale-work  on  the  yellow  ground 
of  the  reverse,  and  of  which  other  pieces  still  exist. 

C.  Wanting  the  inscribed  name  of  the  locality  at  which  they 
were  painted,  we  are  quite  prepared  to  acquiesce  in  the  maturely 
considered  opinion  of  signor  Lazari,  that  the  beautiful  service, 
17  pieces  of  which  are  in  the  Museo  Correr  at  Venice,  and  other 
works  painted  by  the  same  admirable  early  artist  were  produced 
at  Faenza.  They  perfectly  agree  with  the  qualities  lauded  by 
Garzoni  at  the  approximate  period  of  their  production,  one  of 
them  being  dated  1482  ; and  no  wares  of  that  period  could  in 
their  qualities  of  enamel  be  more  worthy  of  the  expression  hianche 
polite  than  the  pieces  of  this  service.  We  have  no  clue  to  the 
name  of  the  painter.  That  they  were  the  production  of  a botega 
distinct  from  the  Casa  Pirota  seems  assured,  from  their  dis- 
similarity in  technical  quality  and  style  of  ornamentation  to  the 
wares  of  that  productive  house,  and  the  absence  of  its  distinctive 
mark  ; but  there  is  great  similarity  in  their  glaze  and  other  details 
to  the  pieces  painted  by  another  excellent  hand  who  signs  with 
the  letters  F.  R. 


D.  A multitude  of  homeless  casuals  have  been  attributed  to 
the  workshops  of  Faenza,  from  technical  characteristics  and 
manner  of  decoration,  while  as  many  more  of  somewhat  different 
complexion  have  been  promiscuously  charged  upon  Urbino. 
Our  ignorance  of  the  exact  localities  of  their  production  from 
want  of  evidence  leads  to  this  doubtful  generalization,  and 
until  the  discovery  of  signed  specimens  by  the  same  hands,  or 
documental  record,  we  must  still  in  numerous  cases  rest  content 
with  our  assumption. 


MAJOLICA. 


171 


Many  early  pieces,  modelled  in  high  relief  and  in  the  round, 
are  probably  of  this  origin.  The  very  fine  tazza,  represented  in 
the  woodcut,  is  a good  example.  They  differ  from  parallel  pieces 
ascribed  to  Caffaggiolo  in  a certain  rigidity  of  modelling,  the  use  of 
a shading  and  outline  of  a darker  or  more  indigo-like  blue,  and  a 
free  application  of  yellow  and  orange  pigments  ; a more  gothic 
sentiment  also  prevails  from  the  influence  of  the  German  school. 


and  we  find  subjects  copied  or  derived  from  the  works  of  Diirer, 
Martin  Schon,  &c.,  more  frequently  upon  the  higher  class  of 
Faentine  wares  than  on  those  of  painters  working  at  the  more 
southern  centres  of  the  art.  The  contemporary  pieces  of 
Caffaggiolo  are  more  Italian  in  sentiment,  the  blue  pigment  of 
greater  brilliancy,  a purple  also  used,  and  a thicker  glaze  of  great 
richness  and  more  tendre  effect. 

From  an  early  period  Faenza  seems  to  have  produced  a large 


172 


MAJOLICA. 


number  of  electuary  pots  and  pharmacy  bottles  ; a pair  are  in  the 
hotel  Cluny,  one  bearing  the  name  Faenza,  the  other  1500. 
Many  of  these  vases  are  decorated  in  the  style  known  as  a quartiere, 
being  divided  into  compartments,  painted  in  bright  yellow,  &c., 
on  dark  blue,  with  foliated  and  other  ornament,  and  usually 
having  a medallion  with  profile  head  or  subject  on  one  side, 
under  which  the  name  of  the  drug  in  gothic  lettering  is  inscribed 
on  a ribbon.  A curious  example  is  in  the  British  museum  ; a 
large  flask-shaped  bottle  of  dark  blue  ground  with  yellow  leafage 
and  with  twisted  handles,  upon  the  medallion  of  which  is  repre- 
sented a bear  clasping  a column,  with  the  inscription  ‘‘  et  sarrimo 
boni  amici^^  allusive,  in  all  probability,  to  the  reconciliation  of  the 
rival  houses  of  Orsini  and  Colonna  in  1517. 

We  would  here  refer  to  the  frequent  occurrence  on  these 
vases,  as  occasionally  upon  other  pieces,  of  pharmaceutical  and 
ecclesiastical  signs,  letters,  &c.  surmounted  by  the  archiepiscopal 
cross  and  other  emblems  which  we  believe  have  reference  to  the 
uses  of  monastic  and  private  pharmacies  for  which  the  services 
were  made,  and  not  to  be  confounded,  as  has  been  too  frequently 
the  case,  with  the  marks  of  boteghe  or  of  the  painters  of  the  piece. 
These  emblems  have  no  other  value  to  us  than  the  clue  which 
they  might  afibrd  to  patient  investigation  of  the  locality  and 
brotherhood  of  the  conventual  establishment  to  which  they  may 
have  belonged,  and  among  the  archives  of  which  may  be  recorded 
the  date  and  the  fabrique  by  which  they  were  furnished.  But 
what  are  of  far  greater  interest  are  those  admirable  early  pieces, 
painted  by  ceramic  artists  of  the  first  rank,  who,  beyond  a rare 
monogram  or  date,  have  left  no  record  of  their  place  or  name ; 
and  whose  highly-prized  works,  for  their  authors  are  several,  are 
jealously  guarded  in  our  public  and  private  museums.  Some  ot 
these,  with  reasonable  probability,  are  believed  to  have  been 
executed  at  Faenza.  Several  examples  are  preserved,  of  an  early 
character,  perhaps  the  work  of  one  hand,  who  marked  them  on 
die  back  with  a large  M crossed  by  a paraphe.  They  are  usually 


MAJOLICA. 


175 


plateaux  with  raised  centre,  on  which  is  a portrait  head,  or 
shallow  dishes  with  flat  border.  Variations  of  the  letter  F are 
found  on  pieces,  some  of  which  are  fairly  ascribable  to  this 
fabrique,  but  we  need  not  point  out  the  fact  that  many  other 
localities  of  the  manufacture  can  claim  the  same  for  their  initial 
letter,  and  that  the  characteristics  and  technical  qualities  of  the 
pieces  themselves  are  a necessary  test. 

Later  in  the  sixteenth  century,  when  subject  painting  covering 
the  whole  surface  of  the  piece  was  in  general  fashion  {istoriata), 
the  unsigned  works  produced  at  Faenza  are  difflcult  to  distinguish 
from  those  of  other  fabriques.  Some  examples  exist  in  collections, 
as  one  in  the  Louvre  with  the  subject  of  a cavalry  skirmish  and 
inscribed  1561  in  Faenca.^  but  we  have  no  knowledge  of  their 
painters,  and  even  the  occurrence  of  the  name  of  that  city  is  but 
rarely  met  with.  Her  wares  are  usually  richly  ornamented  on  the 
back  with  imbrication,  as  was  the  manner  of  Manara,  or  with 
concentric  lines  of  blue,  yellow,  orange. 

E.  Of  the  pottery  produced  at  Faenza  during  the  seventeenth 
and  the  last  centuiy  we  have  but  little  record.  Some  pharmacy 
vases  are  mentioned  by  M.  Jacquemart  signed  “Andrea  Pantales- 
Pingit,  i6i6,^'’  but  the  signature  does  not  appear  to  be  accom- 
panied by  the  name  of  that  city.  In  1639  Francesco  Vicchij  was 
the  proprietor  of  the  most  important  fabrique. 

A modern  establishment  professes  to  occupy  the  premises  of 
the  ancient  Casa  Pirota,  where  we  have  seen  fairly  good  repro- 
ductions of  the  ordinary  sopra  azzw'o  plates  of  the  old  botega,  but 
these  are  but  weak  imitations,  and  the  glory  of  Faentine  ceramic 
art  must  be  looked  for  in  museums. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


Forli,  Ferrara,  etc. 

The  first  notice  we  have  of  the  pottery  of  Forli  is  merely  in- 
direct, occurring  in  a document  referred  to  by  Passeri  and  dated 
as  early  as  1396,  a passage  in  which  speaks  of  John  Pedrinus 
^‘formerly  of  the  potteries  of  Forli  and  now  an  inhabitant  of 
Pesaro  ; ” thus  proving  that  such  a manufactory  did  exist  at  the 
former  town  previous  to  that  date ; but  it  does  not  inform  us 
whether  it  was  more  than  a furnace  for  the  production  of  ordinary 
wares.  Piccolpasso  refers  to  the  painted  majolica  of  Forli,  and 
there  can  be  no  doubt  from  the  examples  we  still  possess  that 
at  the  time  he  wrote,  in  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
it  was  well  known  as  one  of  the  important  fabriques  of  northern 
Italy. 

Our  next  evidence  is  more  direct,  and  consists  of  a series  of 
examples  in  the  South  Kensington  museum,  the  careful  com- 
parison of  vdiich  has  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the  wares  pro- 
duced at  the  botega  of  Maestro  Jeronimo  (?)  at  the  latter  end  of 
the  fifteenth  and  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century  were  of  a 
very  high  order.  That  numbered  7410  is  the  finest  piece  with 
which  the  writer  is  acquainted,  part  of  an  historical  service 
made  for  Matthias  Corvinus,  king  of  Hungary,  whose  arms  are 
emblazoned  on  the  rim.  It  has  hitherto  been  a question  as  to 
which  of  the  early  manufactories  the  production  of  this  service' 
could  be  attributed,  but  we  think  that  there  can  be  no  hesitation, 
after  a comparison  with  other  pieces,  in  classifjdng  it  as  a pro- 


MAIOLICA. 


175 


duction  of  Forli,  The  pretty  plate  no.  1803  (engraved)  ap- 
proaches nearer  to  the  manner  of  the  finer  wares  of  Forli  than  to 
any  other  fabrique  with  which  we  can  connect  it,  and  the  pave- 
ment of  tiles  no.  30,  on  which  occurs  the  date  1513,  is  remark- 


able, as  shown  in  the  next  engraving,  for  the  portrait  heads  intro- 
duced, one  of  which  is  that  of  the  celebrated  Melozzo ; the  other 
may  perhaps  be  that  of  the  artist  who  executed  the  work,  and  who 
is  unquestionably  the  same  as  the  painter  of  the  zero  plate ; from 
an  inscription  of  doubtful  reading  it  may  be  understood  that  he 
signs  this  work  as  ‘‘  Petrus,”  while  the  letter  R,  the  initial  of  his 
patronymic,  occurs  with  P at  the  side  of  what  may  be  intended 
for  his  portrait. 

Mr.  Barker  had  a plate,  from  the  Delsette  collection,  subject 


MAJOLICA. 


176 

the  story  of  Alexander  and  Roxana,  on  which  is  inscribed  ‘‘  Leo- 
chadius  Solobrinus  picsit  forolivia  mece  1555;”  and  in  the 
museum  at  Bologna  is  a basin  on  which  is  painted  a repre- 


sentation of  the  supper  at  which  Mary  Magdalene  washes  Jesus’ 
feet ; on  the  back  it  is  signed  by  the  same  artist,  with  the  date 
1564.  This  is  the  latest  signed  and  dated  piece  of  the  fabrique 
with  which  we  are  acquainted. 

Potteries  are  said  to  have  been  established  at  Bologna  and 
Imola,  and  pieces  have  been  ascribed  to  them.  A plate  is  in  a 


MAJOLICA. 


177 


French  collection,  well  painted  and  of  about  the  year  1500, 
which  has  the  name  of  Ravenna  on  the  reverse. 

Passing  to  the  northern  duchies  of  Italy  we  find  that  Alfonso  I., 
duke  of  Ferrara,  found  means,  notwithstanding  his  troubled  and 
warlike  rule,  to  establish  a fabrique  of  Maiolica  at  his  castle  in 
Ferrara.  Although  the  precise  period  of  the  introduction  of 
the  art  is  unknown,  as  early  as  1436  the  name  of  ‘‘Maestro 
Benedetto  hocalai'o  in  Castdlo^'  is  recorded ; in  1472  one  Enrico, 
and  in  1489  Gio.  da  Modena,  are  named;  while  in  a memoriale 
of  expenses  in  1443  occurs  the  first  mention  of  painted  and  glazed 
wares.  A curious  document  in  the  archives  of  Mantua,  dated 
1494,  tells  us  that  Isabella  (d’Este),  wife  of  the  marquis  of 
Mantua  (Gonzaga),  had  sent  a plate  which  had  been  broken  into 
three  pieces  to  be  repaired  at  Ferrara  by  the  Maestri  working  at 
the  castle ; this  was  done,  and  the  mended  plate  returned  at  the 
desire  of  the  duchess  of  Ferrara  with  another  as  a present. 

From  1506  to  1522  the  artistic  works  seem  to  have  been  dis- 
continued, probably  on  account  of  the  wars  in  which  the  duke 
was  engaged:  and  from  1534  to  1559,  during  the  reign  of 
Ercole  II.,  the  work  does  not  seem  to  have  been  encouraged. 
Pietro-Paolo  Stanghi  of  Faenza  is  the  only  artist  recorded,  having 
made  the  ornaments  to  a stove  in  the  castle ; but  Alfonso  II. 
took  more  interest  in  the  manufacture,  and  Vasari  speaks  of  the 
fine  productions  of  his  furnaces.  Nearly  half  a century  then 
passed  away  before  we  hear  of  fresh  experiments  in  the  pro- 
duction of  porcelain  directed  by  M°.  Camillo,  of  Urbino,  assisted 
by  his  brother  Battista,  and  which  seem  to  have  resulted  in 
success.  When  injured  by  the  accidental  explosion  of  a cannon, 
which  ultimately  caused  his  death  and  that  of  three  gentlemen 
in  1567,  he  kept  the  secret,  refusing  to  divulge  it.  This  event  is 
mentioned  by  Bernardo  Canigiani,  the  ambassador  of  the  Flo- 
rentine court,  who  speaks  of  Camillo  da  Urbino  as  a maker  of 
vases,  painter,  and  chemist,  and  the  true  modern  discoverer  of 
porcelain,  “ Ritrovato7'e  inoderno  alia  porcellanaA  It  would  seem, 


N 


178 


MAIOLICA. 


however,  that  his  brother,  Battista,  must  have  known  something 
of  the  process,  which  he  may  have  been  able  to  perfect  by  expe- 
riments, for  it  appears  that  between  1568  and  1569  the  work  was 
continued,  as  on  the  17  th  December  of  the  latter  year  an  entry  is 
made  of  an  unusual  allowance  of  wine  for  a workman  engaged  in 
preparing  the  ingredients  per  far  porcdlaniP  The  cruet  or 
vase,  here  engraved,  is  of  about  this  period  \ it  is  at  South  Ken- 
sington, no.  505. 


It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  we  have  at  present  no  clue  by 
which  we  can,  even  with  probability,  attribute  any  of  the  examples 
of  maiolica  in  our  collections  to  the  earlier  works  of  the  Faentine 
artists  produced  under  Alfonso  I.  at  Ferrara;  the  more  so  as 
both  under  his  reign  and  under  that  of  Alfonso  II.  the  fabrique 
was  conducted,  not  with  a view  to  profit  or  commercial  enterprise, 
but  simply  from  princely  magnificence  and  a love  of  art.  The 
produce  was  for  their  own  use,  and  for  presents  among  friends, 
but  not  for  sale  ; we  may  therefore  conclude  that  it  was  of  highly 
artistic  and  great  technical  excellence.  This  was  exceptional 
among  the  potteries  of  that  period  in  Italy,  most  of  which  were 
commercial  undertakings,  more  or  less  patronized  and  encouraged 


MAJOLICA. 


179 


by  the  ruling  families  of  their  several  localities.  Some  Ferrarese 
pieces  have  doubtless  been  preserved,  and  are  probably  now- 
classed  among  those  of  Faenza  with  which  they  must  have  a great 
afhnity. 

It  is  not  till  1579,  when  the  art  was  in  decline  and  when  the 
Urbino  style  of  ornamentation  prevailed,  that,  on  the  occasion  of 
the  marriage  of  Alfonso  II.,  it  is  believed  that  a credejiza  was 
made,  the  pieces  of  which  are  to  be  recognized  by  bearing  the 
device  of  a burning  pyre  with  the  motto  Ardet  (EternumJ  The 
pieces  of  this  service  have  a distinctive  character  of  their  own, 
and  although  their  connection  with  Ferrara  may  be  merely  one  of 
ownership  and  not  of  origin,  we  think  it  well  to  class  them  under 
that  head  because  we  have  no  other  standard  to  which  we  can 
attach  all  that  is  known  of  the  history  of  that  princely  botega,  and 
because  these  pieces  have,  in  default  of  positive  evidence  to  the 
contrary,  been  accepted  as  Ferrarese.  They  are  remarkable  for 
the  purity  of  the  white  enamel  ground ; the  grotesques  are  by 
another  hand  than  those  on  pieces  universally  believed  to  be  of 
the  later  period  of  Urbino  or  of  Pesaro,  but  they  are  not  easily 
distinguished  without  examination  of  the  specimens  side  by  side. 
Two  pieces  are  in  the  Louvre,  two  others  are  at  South  Kensington. 

Alfonso  II.  died  in  1597,  after  which  the  dukedom  was 
absorbed  into  the  States  of  the  Church.  The  Este  removed  to 
Modena,  to  which  place  the  contents  of  the  palace  at  Ferrara 
were  carried,  including  the  old  maiolica,  some  of  which  is  men- 
tioned in  inventories  of  the  seventeenth  century.  A few  pieces 
which  escaped  destruction  during  the  French  invasion  of  Italy 
were  gathered  from  neglected  corners  of  the  palace,  and  placed  in 
the  public  gallery  of  Modena  in  1859. 

Although  the  antique  pottery  of  Modena  is  referred  to  by 
Pliny  and  by  Livy,  we  have  no  exact  record  or  marked  example 
of  wares  produced  there  during  the  period  of  the  renaissance. 
Modenese  artists  in  terra-cotta  worked  at  Ferrara,  and  Cristoforo 
da  Modena  was  boccalaro  to  the  duke  of  that  territory  in  the 


K 3 


i8o 


MAIOLICA. 


sixteenth  century.  Piccolpasso  names  Modena  as  a place  where 
maiolica  was  produced,  but  whether  of  a superior  or  of  a more 
ordinary  kind  we  are  not  informed.  In  the  last  century  Gemi- 
niano  Cozzi,  of  that  city,  was  the  leading  maker  of  porcelain  at 
Venice  about  1765,  but  the  monopoly  granted  to  the  fabrique  of 
Sassuolo  impeded  the  manufacture  of  enamelled  wares  elsewhere 
in  the  duchy. 

At  Sassuolo,  a town  prettily  situated  ten  miles  to  the  south  of 
Modena,  an  establishment  for  the  manufacture  of  enamelled 
earthenware  was  introduced  by  Gio.  Andrea  Ferrari  in  1741.  It 
would  seem  that  he  obtained  from  the  duke  Francesco  III.  the 
right  of  making  ordinary  white  and  painted  maiolica,  as  the 
stanniferous  enamelled  wares  were  then  universally  denominated, 
to  the  exclusion  of  all  rivals  in  the  duchy  and  all  importation 
from  other  parts,  except  during  the  fair  held  at  Reggio.  The 
work  commenced  in  1742,  and  in  a few  years  he  was  joined  bjr 
Gio.  Maria  Dallari.  Their  rights  were  from  time  to  time  renewed, 
and  in  1756  confirmed  to  the  extent  of  granting  the  monopoly  tO' 
the  family  for  three  generations ; the  materials  were  not  to  be 
charged  with  import  duty,  and  the  advantages  secured  to  the 
fabrique  were  further  extended  in  1761  by  even  excluding  the 
foreign  wares  from  the  fair  at  Reggio  \ the  manufacturers  on  their 
part  being  bound  to  supply  the  duchy  with  an  abundance  of  good 
wares  at  moderate  prices.  These  wares  produced  were  various,, 
among  others  finer  pieces  painted  in  the  Japanese  style  and  with 
flowers  and  gilding ; groups  of  figures  were  also  made,  and  a large 
export  business  carried  on. 

From  a document  in  the  Archivio  della  camera  di  comnjercio, 
it  would  appear  that  the  art  was  introduced  at  Mantua  about 
1450,  and  that  its  workers  had  their  statutes  which  were  altered 
and  amended  from  time  to  time;  but  we  are  quite  unable  ta 
judge  of  the  character  of  the  wares  produced.  They  were  pre- 
sumably of  an  inferior  quality,  for  we  have  already  seen  that 
Isabella  D’Este  in  1494  procured  maiolica  for  her  own  use  from 


MAIOLICA, 


i8t 


Ferrara,  Urbino,  &c.,  which  would  argue  that  the  pottery  of 
Mantua  was  inferior.  In  the  second  half  of  that  century 
Schivenoglia  mentions  a bottega  di  Maioli^  conducted  by  one 
Zonan  Antonio  Majolaro^  and  remains  of  a furnace  with  frag- 
ments of  wares  were  discovered  in  1864  on  the  riva  al  Lago 
inferiore^  from  whence  a small  plate  was  procured,  painted  with  a 
female  bust,  arabesques,  &c.  Campori  suggests  that  the  irnpresa 
adopted  by  Francesco  Gonzaga  after  the  battle  of  Taro,  namely  a 
crucible  in  a fire  and  containing  ingots  of  gold,  may  be  a dis- 
tinguishing mark  of  the  Mantuan  faience  even  of  a later  period. 

Our  knowledge  of  the  production  of  Maiolica,  or  rather  of 
artistic  enamelled  pottery,  in  Venice  may  be  said  to  begin  with 
the  year  1540.  Previous  to  that  date  there  can  be  little  doubt 
that  the  Venetian  ovens  produced  enamelled  wares  of  greater  or 
less  merit,  but  we  have  no  sufficient  record  of  their  character. 
M.  Jacquemart  believes  that  works  existed  at  Venice  as  early  as 
the  second  half  of  the  fifteenth  century,  arguing  that  if  the 
qualities  of  the  Venetian  pottery  were  of  so  high  an  order  at  that 
period  as  to  induce  the  inventor  of  the  celebrated  bianco  di 
Ferrara  to  order  vases  for  his  own  pharmacy,  it  must  have  been 
developed  and  perfected  from  an  earlier  date.  But  signor  Lazari 
considered  that  the  examples  of  glazed  tiles  existent  in  the  sacristy 
of  the  church  of  Sta.  Elena  at  Venice,  having  the  arms  of  the 
Giustiniani  family  and  dating  about  1450-80  ; as  also  those  in 
the  Lando  chapel  of  S.  Sebastiano,  having  a monogram  and  the 
date  1510,  and  other  examples  anterior  to  about  1545,  were 
importations  from  Faenza  or  from  Castel  Durante  \ an  opinion 
shared  by  the  writer  after  a careful  examination  of  those  pave- 
ments. The  woodcut,  however,  p.  182  represents  a very  fine  dish 
which  we  may  reasonably  ascribe  to  Venice ; of  about  the  year 
1540  : now  at  Kensington,  no.  4438. 

Sir  William  Drake  quotes  a petition,  dated  1664,  from  the 
guild  of  the  “ Boccaleri’’  of  Venice,  in  which  reference  is  made  to 
previous  decrees  in  their  favour  issued  in  the  years  1455, 


i82 


MAJOLICA. 


and  1518,  prohibiting  the  importation  of  foreign  earthenware; 
and  a decree  of  the  senate  in  1665  prohibiting  the  importation  or 
sale  in  Venice  of  any  sort  of  foreign  earthenware  by  any  person 


not  being  a member  of  the  guild,  but  upon  the  condition  that  that 
body  should  keep  the  city  well  supplied  with  “ latesini,”  and  that 
shops  should  be  kept  open  for  its  sale.  From  the  general  tenor 
of  this  petition  we  may  reasonably  infer  that  at  the  period  of  its- 
presentation  the  potter’s  art  in  Venice  was  reduced  to  the  pro- 


MAIOLICA. 


183 

duction  of  very  ordinary  wares.  It  is  curious  also,  and  perhaps 
confirmatory  of  the  inferiority  of  Venetian  artistic  pottery,  that  an 
exception  in  the  decree  against  importation  should  be  made  in 
favour  of  the  maiolica  of  Valencia,  which  we  know  also  to  have 
been  imported  into  Genoa.  This  ware,  which  had  once  been 
excellent,  had  greatly  deteriorated  in  1664.  The  culminating 
period  of  the  excellence  of  Venetian  pottery  in  respect  to  painting 
and  design  was  probably  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

The  earliest  dated  example  is  a deep  circular  dish  in  the 
writer’s  collection,  the  centre  of  which  is  occupied  by  the  figure 
of  a mermaid  floating  on  the  sea,  a horn  in  her  right  hand,  and 
regarding  herself  in  a mirror  which  she  holds  in  her  left ; the  wide 
border  is  covered  with  intricate  and  very  elegant  arabesque  sprays 
of  foliage  with  fruits  and  flowers,  among  which  are  birds.  The 
whole  is  painted  in  dull  pale  blue  on  a grey  enamel  and 
heightened  with  white,  and  on  the  reverse  is  the  inscription 
“ 1540  • ADI  * 16  * DEL  • MEXE  * DEOTVBRE.’^  In  the  Brunswick 
museum  there  is  a large  dish,  having  the  subject  of  Moses  and 
Aaron  entreating  Pharaoh,  with  a rich  border  of  medallions 
figurative  of  the  months,  &c.,  and  the  inscription  “ 1568.  Zener 
Domenigo  da  Venecia  Feci  in  la  botega  al  ponte  sito  del  Andar  a 
San  Paolo.”  Pieces  are  in  various  collections  having  for  mark  a 
C-formed  fish  hook,  with  loop  at  one  extremity  and  barbed  point 
at  the  other.  The  only  name  which  occurs  in  connexion  with 
these  examples  is  that  of  one  Dionigi  Marini^  who  signs  a plate 
having  this  mark  twice  repeated,  and  the  date  1636.  In  1753 
the  Bertolini  obtained  a decree  of  the  senate  permitting  them 
to  open  a shop  in  Venice  for  the  sale  of  their  maiolica,  free  for 
ten  years  of  all  import  and  export  duties.  Notwithstanding,  the 
manufactory  had  ceased  before  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  the 
decree  in  1763,  when  it  was  annulled. 

The  leading  characteristic  of  the  enamelled  pottery  produced 
at  Venice  in  the  sixteenth  century  is  a close  buff-coloured  body, 
covered  by  an  even  glaze  of  grey  colour,  produced  by  the  ad 


184 


MAJOLICA. 


mixture  of  a small  portion  of  zaffre,  and  known  as  smaltino.” 
Upon  this  the  design  was  outlined  and  shaded  in  blue,  of  a rather 
low  tone,  the  high  lights  being  touched  in  with  white.  Engraved 


is  a large  dish,  very  elegantly  ornamented,  probably  made  about 
1540.  The  reverse  of  the  dishes  generally  have  a belt  of  foliated 
sprays  round  the  rim,  and  radiating  flutings  or  alternating  thin 
and  thicker  lines  round  the  “ cavetto.”  It  is  worthy  of  remark 


MAJOLICA. 


1^5 


that  some  of  the  Paduan  wares  are  similarly  ornamented,  and  we 
may  thence  infer  some  connexion  between  the  establishments  or 
an  attempt  at  imitation  j the  fact  that  a cross  was  adopted  as  a 
mark  at  both  places  is  also  noteworthy. 


The  Venetian  wares  of  the  last  century  which,  without  positive 
proof,  are  generally  believed  to  have  been  produced  by  the 
Bertolini  have  also  distinctive  qualities.  They  are  remarkable 
for  their  thinness  and  lightness ; baked  at  a high  temperature, 
they  are  almost  as  sonorous  as  metal ; the  ornamentation  round 
the  rim  is  frequently  executed  in  rilievo,  and  they  have  been  mis- 


i86 


MAIOLICA. 


taken  for  enamelled  copper  with  repousse  flowers,  &c.  The 
colours  used  were  generally  blue  and  brown,  with  yellow  occa- 
sionally, on  a pale  blue  or  dull  white  ground. 


We  must  refer  to  the  large  catalogue  of  the  collection  of 
Maiolica  at  South  Kensington,  for  notices  of  the  less  important 
establishments  at  Treviso,  Bassano,  Padua,  Verona,  and  some 
other  towns : as  also  at  Milan,  Turin,  and  Naples.  In  the  last 
city,  at  the  royal  fabrique  of  Capo  di  Monte  established  in  1736, 
several  varieties  of  fine  ware  were  made,  from  a beautiful  artificial 


MAJOLICA, 


187 

porcelain  to  a faience  of  high  quality,  of  which,  however,  little 
seems  to  have  been  produced. 

In  every  large  collection  pieces  will  be  found  for  which  it  is  not 
easy  to  assign  any  place  as  the  fabrique  at  which  they  were  pro- 
duced. The  very  interesting  piece  (in  the  woodcut  p.  185)  at 
South  Kensington,  no.  2562,  is  an  example:  it  is  of  early  date, 
and  a certain  oriental  character  about  the  design  would  suggest  the 
influence  of  Moorish  potters.  Another  such  example  is  the  dish, 
no.  2593,  of  the  fifteenth  century  and  probably  of  Tuscan  origin;, 
we  give  also  a woodcut  of  this. 


THE  END. 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Alhambra,  tiles  and  vase  14,  75 
,,  vase,  copy  . .77 

Altar  pieces,  ascribed  to  Giorgio  1 1 4 
Amatorii  pieces  . . .64 

Anatolian  wares  . . • 7 1 

Andreoli,  maestro  Giorgio  29,  36, 
42,  1 14 

,,  his  use  of  the  mby 

tint  . . .118 

,,  distinctions  of  his 


works  . . 1 18,  1 19 

,,  first  dated  piece  . 120 

,,  ,,  and  sigaed  121 

,,  characteristics.  . 122 

Arabic  inscriptions  . , .16 

Babylonian  pottery ...  5 

Bacilli,  at  Pesaro,  &c.  10,  18,  22 

Barbatina,  explained  . .129 

Bartolomeo  . . . .152 

Bassano 186 

Beads,  maiolica  . . .64 

Benedetto,  maestro . . .177 

Betrothal  dishes  . . • 30 

Boccoleri,  of  Venice,  their  pe- 
tition ....  181 

Bologna 176 

Borgo  san  Sepolero  . *154 

Botega,  the  meaning  . . i 

Cachan  ware  . . . .66 

Ccesare  da  Faenza  . . *151 


PAGE 

Caffaggiolo  . . . .27 

, , under  the  Medici  . 

43 

,,  usual  subjects 

62 

,,  potteries 

88 

, , characteristics 

89 

,,  examples  at  South 

Kensington 

92 

,,  name  variously  spelt 

94 

Calata-Girone  potteries  . 

85 

Camillo  da  Urbino  . 

177 

Campani,  Ferdinando 

154 

Capo  di  monte 

1S6 

Castel  Durante  . 37,  127, 

128 

, , earliest  signed 

piece  . 130,  132 

,,  general  decora- 

tion  . 

130 

Cencio,  maestro 

124 

Chigi,  cardinal,  at  San  Quirico 

154 

Chinese  porcelain,  imitations  . 

46 

Ciarla  ..... 

152 

Coffins,  made  of  ware 

5 

Damascus  plate 

,,  ware 

68 

,,  the  name  should  be 

revived 

69 

,,  lamp 

69 

,,  two  varieties  . 

69 

Dinita,  madreperla  . 

30 

,,  potteries 

154 

Discs,  on  walls  at  Bologna,  &c.  10 


190  MAIOLICA. 


Discs,  at  Pisa 

PAGE 

. 18 

Duccio,  Agostino  . 

. 28 

Egyptians,  anciently  used  glaze  3 

,,  turquoise  blue 

• 5 

Elizabethan  “Damascus” 

ware  69 

Enamelled  wares  . 

. 12 

English  reproductions 

5o»  74 

Enrico  da  Modena  . 

'.  177 

F.  R.  monogram  . 

. 170 

Fabriano,  potteries 

• 157 

, , mark  and  date 

157,  158 

Fabrique,  the  meaning  . 

I 

Faenza,  examples  . 

&c.,  40 

, , origin  of  name  . 

61,  163 

,,  potteries  . 

. 163 

, , earliest  dates 

. 164 

,,  five  divisions 

. 166 

, , early  characteristics  . 1 7 1 

,,  late  examples 

• 173 

Fayence,  how  made 

• 3 

F errara  potteries 

34,  177 

, , examples  . 

. 179 

Florentine  porcelain 

• 47 

Fontana,  Camillo  . 

37,  147 

,,  Flaminio  . 

. 148 

,,  Franeesco 

. 127 

,,  Orazio  . 43, 

139,  146 

,,  originally  Pelliparii  127, 

, , Guido 

137 

. 142 

,,  Gironimo. 

. 147 

Forgeries 

49,  126 

Forli  .... 

• 175 

Fornarina 

• 45 

Francesco  Durantino 

. 150 

Franco,  Battista 

43,  ISO 

French  reproductions 

50,  74 

Furnaces,  as  explained  by  Pic- 

colpasso  . 

. 56 

Gabriele 

. 152 

PAGE 

German,  early  enamel  glazing . 21 


Giannantonio . . . .152 

Giorgio.  See  Andreoli. 

Giovanni  da  Modena  . .177 

Glaze,  vitreous,  invented  in  the 

East  . . . I,  2 

,,  upon  tiles  ...  9 

Gombron  ware  . . -67 

Graeco-Roman  pottery  . . 8 

Gubbio,  vases,  &c.  . . .38 

,,  wares  . . .in 

,,  early  date  . .113 

Guy,  from  Castel  Durante  . 152 

Hispano-moresque  vase  . -15 


* ,,  pottery,  rare 

in  Spain  . 20 

t ,,  a doubtful 

variety  . 71 

,,  formerly  un- 

distinguished 75 
,,  varieties  . 76 

House  of  Loretto,  dust  col- 


iected  to  make  cups,  &c. 

. 160 

Imola  . . . . 

. 176 

Isabella  d’Este 

. 177 

Ispahan  tiles  . 

. 67 

Italian  pottery,  various  names  . 61 

Ivi^a  potteries 

• 79 

Lanfranchi  family  . 

. 40 

,,  wares  . 

. 104 

Lead-glazed  wares  . 

. 6 

Lindus  wares  . 

65,  69 

Lombard  potteries  . 

• 34 

Loreto  drug  pots  and  vases 

• 43, 

144,  145 

,,  potteries 

• 159 

Lustre,  applied  in  Persia,  &c.  . 6 

,,  earliest  trace  in  Europe  18 
5,  madreperla . . - . 30 


MAJOLICA. 


Lustre  pigments,  the  secret  lost 
,,  modern  imitations 

jVTadreperla  lustre  . 

Maestro,  the  title  . 

Maiolica,  the  term  . 20,  78, 

,,  proper  restriction 

, , vases  or  drug  pots  at 

Loreto  . 

, , beads 

Majorca  ware  .... 
jNIalaga  ware  .... 
Manara  (Baldasara) 

Mantua,  potteries  . 

Mariana  (Gian) 

Mariani  ..... 
hlerlino,  Guido 
Metallic  lustre 
Metauro  loam 
hlezza-maiolica 

,,  outlines  and  de- 

signs . 

hlilan  ..... 
Modena,  potteries  . 

Monte  Lupo  pottery 

„ inscription  . 

hloorish  periods  in  Spain 
,,  in  Sicily 

, , art,  prohibited  in  Spain 

IVIosque  lamp  .... 

Nahinna  ware 
Naples,  reproductions 
,,  potteries  . 

Natinz  ware  .... 
Nicola  da  Urbino  . 

,,  first  signed 

piece 

Orazio  (Fontana)  examples 

Padua  ..... 
Patanati,  their  productions 


191 

PAGE 

Patanati,  Vincenzio,  his  child- 
ish attempts  . .152 

Pelliparii,  afterwards  Fontana  127 
Persian  wall  tiles  . . 7,  65 

ware  at  Pisa  . .18 

,,  ,,  origin  . . 65 

,,  ,,  how  to  be  divided  67 

Perugino,  portrait  . . -135 

Pesaro,  ancient  potteries  . 10,  29, 

32,  103 

,,  madreperla.  . 30,  103 

, , renaissance  potteries 

103,  106 

,,  ,,  inscriptions  106 

5,  ,,  earliest  dated  108 


,,  modern  . . .110 

Piccolpasso,  his  book  . • 51 

,,  his  botega  . .112 

Picchi,  Georgio  . . .152 

Pirota  (casa)  . . . .166 

Pisa,  potteries  . . . loi 

Plumbeous  glaze  ...  8 

Pottery,  orFayence,  how  made  3 
,,  Groeco-Roman  . . 8 


,,  best  period  of  Italian  42 


Raffaelle,  his  designs 

42—45 

,,  ware,  so-called 

. 62 

Ravenna,  potteries  . 

• 34 

Rhodian  wares 

. 69 

, , characteristics  . 

• 70 

Robbia,  Luca  della  . 

22,  25, 
27,  89 

,,  Notice  of  his  life. 

by 

Mr.  Robinson . 

. 24 

, , Andrea 

. 28 

,,  Giovanni  . 

. 28 

,,  Girolamo  . 

. 28 

Roman  potteries 

• 45 

,,  in  sixteenth  century 

. 160 

,,  style  of  decoration 

. 161 

,,  biscuit  porcelain . 

. 162 

Romano,  Giulio 

. 48 

PAGE 

126 

126 

30 

1 14 

, II2 

21 

43 

64 

77 

76 

169 

180 

152 

152 

151 

18 

128 

21 

30 

186 

179 

100 

lOI 

H 

17 

76 

69 

67 

50 

186 

67 

138 

138 

146 

186 

152 


192 


MAJOLICA. 


PAGE 

St.  Sebastian,  rilievo,  ascribed  • 


to  Giorgio  . . . .120 

Saltzburg,  chimney  piece  , 21 

San  Quirico,  potteries  . • 154 

Sassuolo, -^potteries  . . .180 

Savino,  Guido  . . -38 

Scodelle  . . . *63 

Seggers,  as  explained  by  Pic- 
colpasso  . . . -54 

Sgraffiati,  wares  . . .86 

,,  ,,  the  method  . 86 

Sicilian  lustred  ware  . . 84 

Siena,  potteries  . . .96 

,,  marks  . . . -99 

Silvano,  Francesco  . . .152 

Stanniferous,  enamel,  earliest 

date 27 

Strehla,  terra-cotta  pulpit  . 21 

Teheran  ware  . . -67 

Terra-cotta  discs,  on  wails  9,  10 
,,  pulpit  . . .21 

Tiles,  on  walls,  &c.  10,  22,  72 

,,  of  the  Alhambra  . • 14 

,,  at  Leipsic  . . .21 

, , in  mosques  . . -65 

,,  of  Ispahan  . , -67 

, , in  the  Seraglio  . . 72 

,,  modern  Indian  . . 73 

,,  at  Cordova  . , -75 

,,  at  Siena  . . .96 

,,  Faenza.  . , .165 

Tondi,  of  Luca  della  Robbia  . 24 

Tondino,  the  form  . . -63 

Treviso  .....  186 
Turin 186 


PAGE 

Unknown  fabriques,  examples  186 
Urbino,  sketch  of  the  ducal 


history . . . . 

35 

,,  vases,  &c.  . 

38 

,,  ware,  the  name  . 

62 

,,  ancient  wares 

136 

,,  decorations 

152 

,,  no  modern  artistic  pot- 

tery 

153 

Valencia,  potteries  . 14,  79 

, 82 

emblem  of  the  Eagle 

80 

, , ware,  brought  to  Eng- 

land in  1400  . 

83 

Vases,  different  shapes  as  given 

by  Piccolpasso  . 

52 

Venetian  potteries  . 34,  37, 

i8r 

,,  earliest  dated  . 

183 

Verona  . . . . . 

186 

V.I.N.,  monogram.  See  Cen- 

cio  . . . . . 

124 

Vincenzio  Patanati  . 

152 

Viterbo,  example  of  ware 

158 

Vitreous,  or  glass-glazed  wares 

4 

Ware,  soft  and  hard 

3 

Xativa  potteries 

So 

Zanto,  Francesco  . 

148 

,,  Mr.  Robinson’s  judg- 

ment on  his  works  . 

148 

,,  too  severe  . 

149 

Zonan,  Antonio 

181 

LONDON:  BRADBURY,  AGNEW,  & CO.,  PRINTERS,  WHITEFRIARS. 


SOUTH  KENSINGTON  MUSEUM 
ART  HANDBOOKS. 

EDITED  BY  WILLIAM  MASKELL. 


I.  TEXTILE  FABRICS.  By  the  Very  Rev.  Dantel 
Rock,  D.D.  With  numerous  Woodcuts. 

IVORIES:  ANCIENT  AND  MEDIEVAL.  By 

William  Maskell.  With  numerous  Woodcuts. 

j.  ANCIENT  AND  MODERN  FURNITURE  AND 
WOODWORK.  By  John  Hungerford  Pollen.  With 
numerous  Woodcuts. 

4.  MAIOLICA.  By  C.  Drury  E.  Fortnum,  F.S.A. 

With  numerous  Woodcuts. 

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